The Final Lullaby
by tranquilwriter
Summary: SEQUEL TO REQUIEM FOR A DYING HEART. Life is getting busy for the gang what with all the weddings coming up. But there are things that are going to make everything even more chaotic than it already is. Hinata meets her future brother-in-law. SasuHina.
1. Invitation

**Author Note: **Okay, here is part two to Requiem For A Dying Heart. If you haven't read that one first, I suggest you do. All right! On with the story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Time Skip: _Less than two months have passed since the ending of Requiem For A Dying Heart._

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* * *

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**Chapter One: Invitation**

Hinata sat down on the living room couch with a small piece of paper in her hand. It was thick paper that had pink ribbons tied onto it, and beautiful writing engraved into it's surface. As she read over the words, she couldn't suppress her happy smile.

_**You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of**  
_**_Sakura Haruno  
And  
Naruto Uzumaki  
On August the 26th  
At 2 o'clock  
Followed by reception_**

Even though she was in the wedding, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the invitation. Sakura really did do a great job. She knew they wanted the wedding to take place near the hokage monument, and then do the reception at a bar they rented out. Much against Sakura's wishes, Naruto made sure that Ichiraku ramen was going to cater so he could have his precious ramen to eat. Hinata couldn't help but shake her head and giggle at that.

"You're reading that again?" Sasuke's voice sounded from behind her. Before she had time to look back, he already wrapped his arms around her from behind the couch. He rested his chin on her shoulder with his cheek brushing against hers. Despite the affectionate embrace, his face remained stoic as usual. "What, are you trying to memorize it?"

"There's not much…to memorize."

Sasuke snorted. "So, that means you did memorize it already."

She turned her head to place a kiss on his cheek. "I'm excited."

"You're excited…" he sighed and shook his head while releasing her. She watched him walk around the couch. "It's not even your wedding."

"I know…" she replied as he sat down next to her and draped an arm around her shoulders. "But our friends are getting married. You're not excited?"

He raised a brow. "Should I be?"

"Yes." Hinata's expression turned into a pout. "Naruto-kun is your best friend."

"So?" he moved them so that Hinata was now leaning back into his chest with her head under his chin. "It's not my wedding."

She sighed in defeat and smiled at his stubborn attitude. "So you'll be excited about our wedding?"

He smirked and brushed his lips across her hair. "I'll be jumping up and down and doing cartwheels."

Hinata's shoulders shook with laughter. "That's hard for me to picture."

His smirk widened as he moved to brush his lips across her neck. "Same here."

Hinata sighed and leaned back into his chest. "Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"We should get going. Ino-chan's party…will start soon."

Sasuke's once peaceful smirk dropped and a groan escaped his lips.

* * *

The door flung open and a smiling Ino appeared. "Hey! You came!" she moved aside so that Sasuke and Hinata could enter. 

Sasuke trudged in first with his hands in his pockets while ignoring Ino's greeting.

Once Hinata was inside she faced Ino to get embraced into a bone-crushing hug. "H-Hello, Ino-chan."

"Hina-chan!" Ino released her, but kept her hands on her shoulders. "You have no idea how glad I am that you came." She leaned in closer until she was near whispering. "Here I was thinking Sasuke was going to hold you hostage since he doesn't like parties."

Hinata giggled and felt her hand being grasped onto. Both girls turned to see a scowling Sasuke, who apparently overheard them. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking my 'hostage' with me." He turned on his heel and began to lead Hinata away from Ino.

Ino stared blankly for a moment before putting her hands on her hips. "Wait a minute, Sasuke-kun! You get to see Hina-chan all the time, so share her with us for a change!"

Sasuke stopped walking and faced Ino with a smirk. He pulled Hinata against him, so she couldn't see Ino, but she could see over Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke made sure Ino was watching while he brushed Hinata's hair to one side revealing her neck. "My apologies, Ino, but I'm not the sharing type." He leaned down and kissed Hinata's neck while watching Ino blush in embarrassment.

"Uchiha," Sasuke heard his name being called with a very angry tone to it.

Sasuke released his lips from Hinata's neck, and the couple turned to see no one other than Hinata's overprotective cousin. "Hyuga."

It was obvious to everyone's eyes that Neji was having a difficult time in controlling his anger at the moment. His arms were folded across his chest, but his hands were seen balled into fists. "Just because I approved of the relationship doesn't mean you can have your way with her in public!"

Sasuke smirked and wrapped an arm around Hinata's waist. "Why not? We're amongst friends."

Hinata gulped and cringed at the scene before her. It didn't take a genius to figure out how this was going to end.

Neji tightened his jaw and seethed. "You so much as even think about doing anything with her in my presence…" he let the sentence hang with obvious threat.

Hinata clenched onto Sasuke's arm seeing that he was going to retort. "Sasuke," she called to get his attention. He glanced over in waiting. "Please don't. You know how Neji-kun is…"

Sasuke sighed audibly and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Ruin my fun…" he smirked again as he started to lead Hinata into the living room. "We won't do anything in his presence." He paused to show Neji his sly smirk. "So maybe we should go find a vacant bedroom instead."

"Sasuke!" Hinata reprimanded only to be drowned out by Neji's booming voice.

"Uchiha! I'll kill you!"

When the couple entered the living room, a few faces looked up to them in question. Naruto was the first to speak up. "What did you do now, Sasuke?"

"Yeah," Tenten added while sitting quite close to Lee on the couch. "Neji's usually pretty well composed, but you seem to know all his buttons to push."

"It is only because lovely Hinata-chan is practically Neji's younger sister." Lee explained in a know-it-all voice. "He is quite protective."

Sasuke grunted and looked away.

Hinata smiled and looked around the room noticing someone was missing. She faced Naruto with a worried expression. "Naruto-kun?"

"What's up, Hinata-chan?" He smiled.

"Did Sakura-chan not come?"

Naruto's smile wavered. "No, uh, she's here alright. She's upstairs in the bathroom, though. She said she hasn't been feeling too well lately. She says she's nauseous one minute and fine the next." He shook his head. "Odd…"

"Hina-chan!" Hinata looked behind her to see Sakura coming down the stairs looking a little pale.

Hinata left Sasuke's side to run up to Sakura worriedly. "Are you all right, Sakura-chan?"

"Huh? Oh…" she laughed nervously. "I'm good. I just get a little nauseous, throw up, then I feel perfectly fine for awhile."

Ino entered the living room with Choji, Shikamaru, and Neji following behind her. "Maybe you shouldn't have come then, billboard-brow."

Sakura frowned. "You invited me, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." She placed her hands on her hips. "But how can you enjoy the party if you're going to be stuck in the bathroom the whole time?"

"I won't be!" Now, Sakura's hands were on her hips. "I feel perfectly fine now, so let's get the party started already."

Ino smirked. "Okay," she turned around to rummage through a box that she had on her coffee table. When she faced the group again, she was holding two glass bottles of clear liquid. "Look what I got."

Hinata quirked a brow and glanced to Sasuke in question.

He saw her questioning gaze and leaned down to her ear. "You're not going anywhere near that stuff."

"Why not? It looks like water." She whispered softly.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched upward in amusement. "Those bottles, my love, are called Vodka and Bacardi."

Hinata's mouth formed the shape of an 'O'.

Sasuke chuckled. "Your innocence never ceases to amaze me."

Neji snapped his attention over to Sasuke after hearing the last statement. "She better stay innocent, Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked slyly.

* * *

The party continued on starting with their meal. Once everyone was done eating, they immediately began playing random games. Most of the group was drinking a mixture of all the types of drinks Ino bought. The only ones that weren't drinking happened to be Sakura (who wasn't feeling well to begin with), Lee (for obvious reasons), Hinata (because Sasuke was making sure she wouldn't), and Sasuke (so he could watch Hinata). 

By the time the group had finished their fifth or sixth game for the night, a good handful of them were pretty drunk. An inebriated Ino and Tenten were dancing quite sloppily in the living room with Lee and a tipsy Choji there to steady them before they hit the ground. Kiba was pretty wasted, and challenged Naruto, who was borderline drunk, to an arm wrestling contest. Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru had been drinking just as much as the others, but they managed to hold their liquor quite well. If one were to look at them, it wouldn't seem they were even tipsy yet. But once they got up off the couches to go join in the arm wrestling contest, their staggering steps became quite noticeable. Seeing that most of the boys were now holding a mini tournament of strength, Sakura ended up wanting to watch in utter amusement. And there was no doubt that it was indeed amusing.

As for Sasuke and Hinata, they remained sober still and lounging on the living room couch. Hinata was leaning toward Sasuke with his arm around her shoulders. In his other hand, he held a sake bottle, which he happened to find in Ino's cupboard of endless alcohol. Sasuke, like Neji, had an amazing alcohol tolerance, but he had a feeling Hinata didn't. He allowed her a few sips to try it, but one look at her scrunched-up face made him believe she had no interest in the drink. Her reaction made it entirely impossible for Sasuke to repress his laughter.

Just when it got pretty quiet in the living room where Sasuke and Hinata were, the rest of the group barged in and began sitting on the floor forming a circle. Sakura turned to the couple and smiled encouragingly. "You guys should play. I think this is our last game for the night, anyway."

"No." Sasuke replied quickly, but Hinata seemed to have different plans.

"What game is it?" she asked curiously.

"It's called 'I Never'. It's Ino and mine's favorite game. Come on!" The pink-haired kunoichi motioned to the two empty spots between her and Shikamaru.

"Hinata—" Sasuke tried to warn, but she had already walked toward the circle and sat next to Sakura.

She turned back to Sasuke and smiled pleadingly. "Please come play, Sasuke."

"No way." He folded his arms across his chest.

Naruto and Sakura frowned in disappointment. "Why not Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "This game is idiotic."

"Don't be such a pansy!" Naruto barked out. "What, are you scared?"

"I'm not scared." he growled back. "I'm not stupid either."

"Please, Sasuke?" Hinata's meek voice drew his attention back onto her.

His features softened. "No. You shouldn't play either."

"Please?" she pouted her lip. "We can…go home right after."

He raised a brow and tightened his mouth into a thin line. Sasuke sighed deeply and moved to sit down next to a now cheerful Hinata. _How does she always manage to get her way in the end? _Once he sat down, he gave her a soft glare in which she giggled lightly at.

"Okay!" Ino raised a wobbly arm. "First, everyone needs a drink! Who doesn't have a drink?"

Hinata timidly raised her hand.

Ino's face brightened. "Hina-chan!" She stumbled in standing up, and Choji jumped up to help her stand still. "I'll go get you a drink, so what do you want?" she slurred and didn't seem to notice Choji's firm hands on her waist or some of the group's snickering.

"Um…" Hinata put her finger to her lip. "Do you have juice?"

Ino stared blankly. "Uh…"

Choji sighed. "Yes, we have juice. I'll go with her to get you some, Hinata-san."

"Thank you."

Before Choji entered the kitchen, he turned to look over his shoulder at the group. "Anybody else need a drink?"

"Yeah! Get me another beer!"

"Water if you don't mind."

"Rum!"

"Tequila will do."

"It's troublesome, but I guess I'll have another beer."

"Same here."

"Another sake bottle as well."

Choji sighed heavily before entering into the kitchen. Suddenly, he regretted being a nice host and asking such a question.

* * *

When Choji and Ino had left into the kitchen to prepare the drinks, Hinata leaned toward Sakura, who happened to be the only sober one there besides her and Sasuke. "Um, Sakura-chan?" 

"Hmm? What is it?" she smiled while trying to ignore the shouting between Naruto and Kiba.

"How do you…play this game?" Hinata asked with her brows furrowed slightly.

"Oh." Sakura laughed. "Well, it's really easy. It's originally a drinking game that we all used to play to get drunk really fast,"

"Which is why I didn't want us to play." Sasuke interrupted in a grumble.

Sakura ignored him just as Hinata did and continued. "But, you don't have to drink something alcoholic. As long as you have a drink, you can play. Now, this is what happens. One person starts out and names something they've never done, and anyone who _has _done it has to take a drink." She paused and pointed to herself. "For instance, if I started out I'd say something like, 'I've never smoked before.' But anyone who _has _smoked before has to take a drink. Make sense?"

Hinata slowly nodded. "Yes…I believe so."

"Good. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon. It's not hard at all."

Sasuke snorted. _Yeah, because giving away your secrets is always fun and easy. _He thought sarcastically feeling immense regret for being pulled into this.

* * *

"Okay," Choji studied the different drinks in front of him while Ino sat at the counter across from him. "I got Hinata-san's juice, Sasuke's sake, Sakura-san's water, the beers for Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji…" he pulled out a few more drinks. "Rum for Kiba, Tequila for Shino…" 

Ino lifted up a tall bottle completely full of liquor. "And Vodka for Tenten—" she hiccuped. "And me."

"You really don't need anymore of that, Ino." Choji lightly reprimanded.

"I'm fine." She opened the lid and tipped it to her lips. "I'm not drunk yet!"

Choji shook his head and watched as she began to chug down the liquid. He turned away from her and looked around for a tray to put all the drinks on. Inwardly, he was wondering how he was going to balance the tray of drinks and his girlfriend at the same time.

Ino sighed happily after swallowing, and glanced to see Choji's back turned. Her drifting eyes landed on the grape juice in front of her. "It's not full enough…" she poured some of her vodka into the juice drink until it was near the rim. "There…that's much better…"

Choji turned around after finding a tray, and immediately began loading the drinks onto it.

* * *

Ino entered into the room first with Choji following behind. She stumbled over and managed to sit down next to Shino without falling on anybody. Than again, Shino did have his hands ready to stabilize her if she had come close to falling. Once he saw Ino secured in her sitting position, Choji began distributing the drinks to their owners. After he finished, he sat next to Ino and the game began. 

"Okay!" Ino held up her bottle of vodka with a smile that stretched ear to ear. "The person that's going to start is…" she paused dramatically while pointing to random people. "Shino!"

Shino's eyebrows drew together in disagreement. "Very well. I'll begin." He spoke simply, and everyone waited to hear what he had to say. It was made pretty obvious that most of the group was quite interested; Shino was a mysterious guy after all. "I've never…worn shorts."

Everyone quirked a brow.

"That was pretty lame, bug boy." Kiba commented.

Shino merely kept a straight face while everyone else drank from their choice beverages.

Hinata sipped at her juice, and licked her lips in confusion soon after. _This juice tastes kind of funny._

"My turn!" Ino hollered in excitement. "All right! I've never been on an S-rank mission before!"

Everyone else took a drink.

Choji straightened knowing it was his turn now. "I've never…uh…let's see…" He smiled in knowing. "I've never dated more than one person."

"At a time?" Naruto questioned.

"No. Just ever." He corrected and they nodded in understanding.

Hinata, Naruto, Neji, and Ino drank.

"I've never…" Shikamaru began and mumbled 'troublesome' under his breath before continuing. "I've never sang in public."

Ino patted his back. "That's a good thing!"

Sakura, Naruto, Lee, and Ino drank.

All eyes turned to Sasuke with the same anticipation they had with Shino.

Sasuke sighed inwardly while watching as he swirled his sake around inside the bottle. He hadn't drank very much of it yet. In fact, Hinata was getting more drinks in than he was.

"Sasuke?" Hinata peered at him with concern.

He glanced at her. "I've never…owned a pet."

Hinata smiled while a few of the others drank.

Now, it was her turn. She tapped her chin with her finger in deep thought. "Um…I…" she lowered her gaze to her drink and her face brightened. "I've never gotten…drunk before."

Everyone besides her drank. Sakura smiled cheerfully now that it was her turn. It took awhile to think of something she's never done before, but she was happy that she finally thought of it. "I've never dyed my hair." She spoke confidently and snickered when Ino drank from hers.

"What?" Ino shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted some blue streaks okay?"

"Oh!" Naruto bobbed up and down. "My turn! It's my turn, right? Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, Naruto. Now go." Sakura shook her head and sighed. How was it possible that his happiness could increase just by drinking? Wasn't it already at top level?

"All right!" Naruto grinned widely and pointed his finger out in the air. "I've never ever in my entire life…hated ramen!"

Seconds later, he had to avoid various punches and smacks from those around him who called him an idiot. Nevertheless, Sasuke, Sakura, Neji, Tenten, Shino, and Ino drank.

Tenten leaned against Lee since she couldn't even sit up straight. Lee whispered to her that it was her turn, so she widened her eyes to gain focus before blurting out her words. "I've never—" she stifled a hiccup. "Worn a skirt!"

Not surprised, everyone waited while Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Naruto drank from their cups. When everyone gave Naruto questioning stares, he waved his hands in front of his face defensively. "It was for my sexy jutsu, okay? I was in disguise!"

The rest muttered disbelieving responses under their breath, which only angered Naruto more. Their attention quickly turned to Lee, though, when he pumped his fists into the air in his excitement. "I have thought much about something I've never done! It was quite difficult, but I have managed to come up with something worthy!"

Tenten smacked him in annoyance. "Just say it, Lee!"

"Oh, right." He hardened his expression into one of sobriety. "I have never killed anyone, mission or otherwise."

The room became eerily silent as each one's gazes drifted to something or other. Shino drank his impassively while Choji and Shikamaru drank theirs reluctantly. Naruto took a slow drink from his, and looked remorseful. Sakura leaned closer to him and kissed him on the cheek comfortingly, which he appreciated. Hinata glanced over to Sasuke seeing him tighten his grip on his sake bottle. His eyes stared blankly at the liquid, but they contained a hidden grief. The lives he had taken were numerous, and not something to be proud of.

Neji neared his cup to his lips while closing his eyes briefly. "You think that was 'worthy', Lee?" he remarked and drank with his ever-present stoic facial cast.

Lee's eyes widened slightly in realization, and soon lowered to the floor in shame. "I did not…I apologize…" Tenten patted his hand in understanding.

Hinata continued to watch Sasuke and his unreadable face. She didn't see it, but everyone else in the room was watching him warily. In one quick movement, he began taking large gulps of sake. He finished and placed the bottle next to him while looking a little disgruntled. Hinata could only guess that he was remembering all the deaths he's seen and caused. Maybe she didn't have to guess…Maybe it was something only visible to her when she looked into his dark abysmal eyes.

Hinata slipped her hand over Sasuke's fist and squeezed softly. In response, he looked over to her blankly before gazing down at her hand that rested over his. Slowly, he turned his hand over so their fingers could entwine. When he looked back up to her face, she was smiling warmly, and it allowed him to feel a sense of familiar peace within.

Neji cleared his throat drawing the attention away from the scene. "I believe it's my turn." He waited until most of their eyes were on him before he started. "I've never…had short hair."

Oddly enough, the tense atmosphere lifted and most of them laughed while agreeing to Neji's statement. Neji watched with a raised brow as everyone else took their drinks.

After taking yet another sip from her juice, Hinata looked at it quizzically. It was starting to taste better, but now she was beginning to feel a little dizzy. When she looked around, it took great effort to focus on something.

Kiba laughed heartily knowing it was finally his turn. It didn't take much to see how truly intoxicated Kiba was, which meant he wouldn't bother controlling what came out of his mouth. "I've never had sex before!" There was a whole two seconds of silence before practically everyone was laughing, which ended up embarrassing the drunken Kiba.

But then came the serious part. Everyone's eyes, unfocused or not, glanced around to see who was going to take a drink. Shino was the first to take a drink.

Naruto pointed in disbelief. "No way! There was actually someone sane enough to sleep with you!"

Shino glared. Ino and Choji drank next, and nobody was really surprised at that. Shikamaru followed after his teammates. Sakura tilted her head in question. "Wow, Shikamaru. Who's the girl?"

The genius sighed and folded his arms over his chest lazily. "Why does it matter?"

Sakura smiled. "I'll bet it was Temari!" her suspicions were confirmed when they could see a light tint of pink on his cheeks.

Neji drank next, and before anyone could open their mouths, he spoke. "My personal life is none of your business."

Naruto and Sakura took their drinks making Ino snicker and Kiba stare in amazement. Hinata, on the other hand, began to wonder to herself. That is, until Sasuke nudged her lightly before taking a drink himself. Catching onto his hint, Hinata followed suit and took another sip of her weird juice.

A few were impassive, but most felt their jaws drop to the floor. It wasn't that they were surprised at Sasuke, oh no, it was Hinata. After all, she was supposed to be the sweet and innocent one. Although, no one took this harder than Neji, who's eyes widened much farther than the others. "Hinata? What? You…" he couldn't seem to form the right words. He saw her blush and take a quick glance to Sasuke, who was smirking quite smugly. At that, Neji's anger rose to an unparalleled level. "You bastard! I'll kill you!" he lunged at Sasuke only to be halted when most of the men were holding onto him to keep him at bay.

Sasuke merely took another drink from his sake and smirked at the fuming Hyuga. "What's the matter, Neji? You look shocked."

"You dared to deflower her before she weds!"

"Neji-kun, please, don't be angry with Sasuke…" she tried to plead, but it went unnoticed and her dizziness only increased.

"We are getting married." Sasuke explained as if it was obvious. "Not to mention…our personal life is none of your business."

Neji scowled even more when he recognized that he just repeated what he said earlier. The moment was interrupted, though, when Sakura began to cough and gag before running up the stairs with her hand covering her mouth. Naruto released his hold on Neji and ran up after her. "Sakura-chan! Are you all right? You're not throwing up again, are you?"

Hinata stared after her worriedly, and stood up to go stand at the foot of the stairs. As she stood and absently tried to steady herself, something inside her mind clicked and her face fell into shock. By this time, Neji was slowly calming down, but the men were still holding onto him.

Sakura finally came back out with Naruto holding onto her supportively and a glass of water in her hand. When she made it down the stairs, she saw Hinata and smiled. "Sorry. I guess I have the flu or something."

"Sakura-chan…I don't think that's it." Hinata murmured.

"What do you mean, Hina-chan?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto seemed confused too. "Do you think it's something worse?"

Hinata shook her head and tried to smile in reassurance. The ex-heiress didn't know where she suddenly found the courage and urge to speak loud and clearly, but she didn't care. In fact, she smiled wider. "Sakura-chan…" Hinata giggled. "I think you're pregnant."

Again, there was silence until Sakura's glass fell from her hand and shattered on the floor.

* * *

**All right! This was mainly just a fun chapter for me to write. It does have to do with the actual story line, but I wanted to put in a fun chapter to start things off nicely. Now, this is just a part two or a continuation of the story. I don't know how long it will be, but I have my ideas already planned out. Please Review btw!**


	2. Preparations

**Author Note: **Thank you for all the reviews! I love you guys (not like that).

**Important Note: **In case you didn't already know, my main computer is pretty much fried right now, so instead of waiting for it to get fixed, I decided I would just find some random computer and type this up and hopefully upload it too. I'd also like to thank you all for being as patient as you have been with me. Please continue your marvelous patience please!

* * *

**Preparations**

Everyone was silent, and all attention turned to Sakura and Naruto. Those two were pretty much in shock at the moment. "I…" Sakura murmured. "I'm pregnant?"

"I could check if you want!" Hinata giggled some more. She ignored her dizziness, but felt really carefree. "See—watch!" She activated her byakugan and looked at Sakura's stomach. Her giggle was heard once again. "Yep! There's a fetus in there. Congratulations, you two."

Naruto looked at Sakura, who met his gaze equally. Slowly, Naruto smiled widely and Sakura began to laugh nervously. "All right!" Naruto wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around in his excitement.

Hinata deactivated her byakugan, and immediately felt more lightheaded than before. Her hand flew to her head as she tried to focus her eyes. "I…I don't feel so good…" Before she could mutter any more words, her world faded into darkness and her body began to waver off balance.

Seeing this, Sasuke's eyes widened and he ran to her side to catch her before she fell. When she landed in his arms, he looked down analytically. "How did you get drunk?"

Her eyes opened and she gazed up at him with a dreamy smile. "Sasuke…" she moved around in his arms so that she was facing him. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, but she ended up crashing into him with her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "I love you, Sasuke! That's why we're getting married!"

Sasuke might've chuckled if he wasn't already so angry to find out that her drink was probably alcoholic—and empty. "Who the hell spiked—" his sentence got cut off when Hinata's lips collided with his own. He could feel her tongue dart into his mouth massaging his cavern. It took everything in Sasuke's self-control to keep from moaning and to focus on the situation at hand. Reluctantly, he pulled back from her only to see that all the eyes were on them now.

"She's drunk?" Neji clenched his fists more tightly and leaned down to her juice cup and held it in his grasp. He sniffed it and nodded. "There was definitely alcohol in here." He turned to Choji. "What kind of juice did you give her?"

Choji waved his arms in front of him defensively. Who could blame him? He had two of the most intimidating shinobi glaring daggers at him. "I gave her grape juice! There was no alcohol in it when I poured it, I swear!" he stopped and glanced at Ino, who was having trouble sitting up. He sighed knowing now what happened. "Ino probably poured it in when I had my back turned."

Neji and Sasuke sighed in unison. "I should probably take her back home."

Neji nodded. "That would be wise. She seems to get…excited when she's intoxicated." His facial expression emanated worry.

Before Sasuke could respond, Hinata placed her hands on his face so that he was looking at her now. Her eyebrows knit together in hurt. "You don't…want me to kiss you?" her eyes began to water. "You don't love me anymore?"

"Hinata, that's not it. You're just—"

"We—we can have s-sex if you w-want!" she slurred making Sasuke's face heat up. "See…watch…" she began to lift up her shirt.

Sasuke panicked and his eyes widened. "H-Hinata…" Mere seconds from her shirt coming over her breasts, he managed to pull it back down and pick Hinata up into his arms. "I think we should definitely go back home now before you end up stripping in front of all your friends."

"My friends are here?" she mumbled and tried to look over Sasuke's shoulder. She saw the group looking at her in shock, though she didn't notice. She waved frantically. "Hi friends! Sasuke and I are—" she hiccupped. "Going home to have s-sex!"

Sasuke halted in the doorway and lowered his red face to the ground so it would go unnoticed by the others. "Hinata…"

Everyone else seemed speechless. All except for Ino anyway. She waved her hands in the air with a laugh. "All right! You go have sex Hina-chan!" she gave her a thumbs up. "How's Sasuke-kun in bed?"

Sasuke stiffened at the question, and couldn't seem to move for the moment.

Hinata, on the other hand, giggled and smiled a toothy grin at Ino. "He—He likes to go fast and he really likes to—" Sasuke's hand immediately covered her mouth to silence her. She looked at him questioningly.

"I think that's enough, Hinata. We're leaving." He looked over his shoulder at Naruto and Sakura who were equally as shocked as the rest. "Err…congratulations on the kid by the way."

They nodded absently and watched as the couple left out the door. When they disappeared, there was more silence before Ino broke it with her laugh. "Hina-chan's really drunk!"

The group turned to her with a skeptical expression. "And you're not?"

* * *

With Hinata in his arms, Sasuke was just glad that he made it to the Uchiha gates. The walk to get to his actual home was seemingly longer than he remembered, especially with Hinata's incessant questions. "Are you sure you want to marry me, Sasuke?" 

"I proposed to you, didn't I?" he deadpanned.

"But you don't love me!"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"You never…never say it…"

"I've said it to you before."

"I love you, Sasuke." She met his eyes with a hidden sadness.

He kissed her forehead. "I know."

"You see!" she pointed a wobbly finger in his face. "You don't say it! You—you just…" Tears formed in her eyes. "You avoid it…"

He sighed and almost leaped for joy when he stood outside his front door. Holding her tightly with one hand, he unlocked the door with his other. "Do you think I don't feel the same for you?" he questioned while opening the door and closing it behind them. The house was dark, but he made no move to turn on any lights as he made his way to his bedroom.

Hinata leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "Maybe y-you do…b-but I don't know…until you tell m-me…"

After entering into his bedroom, he placed her gently on the bed and removed her shoes and weapons pouch. "It's difficult for me."

"Difficult…?" she murmured feeling sleepy already.

He covered her with the blanket and began to remove his shirt and pants until he was only in his boxers. He slipped into the bed under the covers, and pulled her toward him until she was within his arm's hold. "Yes, it's difficult. Those are not words I'm used to."

Hinata rested her forehead against his chest and inhaled deeply.

"Besides you…the only other person I said that to was my mother." He drifted off into his memories. "And that was many years ago…"

"What was your mother's name?" she mumbled getting closer to him.

"Mikoto Uchiha."

"Hmm…what was she like?"

Sasuke smiled in remembrance. "She reminds me a lot of you, actually. She wasn't as timid and shy, but she was caring and loving. My father viewed me as a means for proving the Uchiha strength. My mother only ever treated me like a son. She never looked at my flaws and only saw my strengths."

Hinata smiled and clenched onto him tighter. "You miss her a lot."

Sasuke nodded as his smile turned sad. "I do. I loved her…" he laughed shortly and kissed Hinata on her lips. When he parted, their foreheads were touching. "And I love you too…"

Hinata giggled softly and began to drift off to sleep. "I know…"

He smirked knowing that she was seconds from sleep. "If you remember this in the morning, remind me to never let you get drunk again."

"Mmm 'kay…"

* * *

Sasuke was awakened the next morning once he heard gagging noises from the bathroom. He sat up quickly and glanced at the empty spot next to him on the bed. Realizing what was going on, he got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom. There he saw Hinata hunched over the toilet relieving herself of everything she ate and drank the previous day. 

Sasuke chuckled to himself and knelt next to her on the bathroom floor. He combed his fingers into her hair, and held it away from her face. With his other hand, he massaged her back soothingly.

When she felt that her vomiting had finally stopped, she groaned and rested her cheek against the cool toilet seat. "Sasuke…" she moaned in agony.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards in amusement. "I pegged you to be a lightweight, but that was just ridiculous. You were gone after only one cup of spiked grape juice."

She groaned again. "I don't feel so good…"

"That's what happens when you drink too much." He paused. "Why don't you take a shower, and I'll go make some tea. I'll make breakfast while I'm at it."

At that, Hinata faced the inside of the toilet bowl and threw up one more time.

Sasuke sighed. "On second thought, no breakfast for you."

After getting dressed and ready, Hinata trudged slowly toward the kitchen where she knew Sasuke would be. As she got closer, she could smell the calming aroma from the tea. It managed to ease her stomach rather than aggravate it further.

Entering into the kitchen, she saw her fiancée sitting at the table with his own mug of hot tea in his hand. He was in the middle of taking a slow drink when he laid eyes on her exhausted form. He placed his cup on the table and smirked in her direction. "Sit down." He ordered gently and she slowly obeyed.

He stood up and retrieved a glass from the cupboard as well as a pitcher from the fridge. He glanced at her over his shoulder, and saw her face buried in her hands. Somehow, Hinata having a hangover amused him to no end. Sasuke stifled another chuckle while pouring some contents of the pitcher into the glass.

A thud against the table's surface made Hinata snap up to attention. Her eyes first set onto the glass in front of her. The liquid inside made her eyes narrow. It looked like black sludge, or maybe tar. As she analyzed it further, she could see different colors like brown, red, and even green. What was it—sewage? Her white orbs drifted up to meet Sasuke's smirking and amused face. He was leaning against the table near Hinata with his arms crossed casually over his chest. Her brows furrowed in question at the unknown liquid in front of her.

Sasuke laughed. "Drink it."

"W-What is it?" she asked fearfully.

"You don't want to know." He paused and moved his body to face her. "It'll cure your hangover."

Hinata didn't say anything and only stared cautiously at the strange substance. She gulped and grasped onto the glass while gazing down inside at the black liquid. The smell alone was revolting, and forced her to purse her lips in order to keep from gagging.

Sasuke sympathized. "It's like sewage—I know—but it will cure it faster than any amount of pills."

"H-How do you know?" she turned her attention away from the glass and focused on Sasuke instead.

The raven-haired man gave a half-smile, and walked over to sit down across from her. When he was comfortably seated, he leaned forward with his elbows on the table surface. "A little less than eight years ago, Kakashi invited our team over to his place to celebrate our survival of the chunin exams." He rolled his eyes. "It was no surprise that when we arrived, Kakashi was running late. So, we hung out at his place. Anyway," he leaned back folding his arms over his chest. "Naruto got thirsty, and went to go search Kakashi's fridge. He ended up coming back with three cans of beer, which—being the idiot he is—assumed it was soda pop." He paused to hear Hinata's quiet giggle. "All three of us drank ours and didn't stop at one or two. By the time Kakashi got home, we were trashed."

"But you were only twelve." Hinata's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Yeah, which is why we had no alcohol tolerance." He explained. "Kakashi put us to bed, though, and laughed at us when we all woke up with extreme hangovers. And that is where that stuff comes in."

Hinata's eyes drifted back uncertainly to the glass she held in her hand.

"That is something that Kakashi made us drink. He called it his 'Ultimate Hangover Remedy'. Surprisingly, it worked." He smirked again. "It tastes like shit, but it works miracles."

Hinata nodded in understanding while taking a deep breath. She gulped again and neared the glass to her lips. While she concentrated on the liquid, Sasuke got up again to prepare a cup of hot tea for her. After all, she'll need it.

The first taste made her want to throw up again, but she knew she couldn't stop. It was her first time chugging, and the substance was disgusting. Luckily, the taste wasn't that horrible anymore and she had only a few gulps left. When she did finish—at last—she placed the glass down and began coughing harshly. Within a second, her mug of tea was shoved into her hands and she sipped at it desperately. It wasn't until she stopped drinking that she heard Sasuke's quiet chuckles. She met his eyes with her face scrunched together in a pout. Before she could open her mouth to speak, his lips had descended upon hers. He held her face with one of his hands and placed the other on her lower back.

It took only a brief moment before the shock wore off and Hinata began to kiss him back in return. He pulled away shortly after, but kept his hands in their positions. "I apologize for laughing. But you have no idea how much you've entertained me."

Hinata pouted her lips again. "I'm glad you find this so amusing." She said with obvious sarcasm.

He smirked wider and brushed his lips over her neck trailing up to her earlobe, where he began to nibble playfully.

"Sasuke…?" She straightened her face into one of curiosity.

He grunted in reply to let her know he was listening, even though his attention seemed to be solely on her neck and ear.

"I…I-I was drunk…right?"

"Incredibly so." He nipped at her neck.

Hinata gasped. "I didn't—" she moaned at feeling his tongue massage and suck at her pulse point. "I-I didn't do…" she gulped and tried to focus on what she wanted to say. "Anything stupid, did I?"

At that, Sasuke pulled back and faced her with a brow raised. "Well, no." he smirked slyly. "But you did embarrass yourself in front of your friends."

Her brows furrowed even more in unease. "H-How?"

"You basically told everyone that you wanted to go home to have sex."

She covered her mouth as she gasped loudly. Her faced turned from pale to rose red in a matter of seconds. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "No…" she whispered.

"Oh, yes." He resisted the urge to laugh again, and stroked her hair instead. "It was quite funny actually," his voice trailed off into a more uncomfortable tone. "Even though you managed to embarrass me as well."

"I did? How?" she uncovered her face and gazed into his black eyes worriedly.

He tightened his mouth into a thin line as he leaned away from her, and combed his fingers through his unruly hair. "The Yamanaka asked you how I was in bed." He paused noticing her eyes widen in shock. "You would've told her every detail if I hadn't taken you home when I did."

"I'm so sorry!" she stood and grasped onto his hands apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. That's what happens when you get wasted. Besides," he smirked again. "The only one that won't remember your behavior is the Yamanaka herself. It should be crystal clear in everyone else's memories."

Hinata whimpered, but halted when she heard a knock at their front door.

As usual, Sasuke groaned in annoyance. "Do they have lives?"

Hinata just smiled and ran to the door to answer it. After opening it, she was greeted by the smiling face of her pink-haired friend. "Hey, Hina-chan."

"Good morning, Sakura-chan."

"Mind if I come in? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Of course." Hinata moved aside letting Sakura enter, and closed the door afterward. She turned around and saw her friend sitting on the couch already.

"So, how are you feeling Hina-chan?" Sakura asked with concern. "Is the hangover killing you?"

Hinata blushed as she made her way over to the couch to sit by Sakura. "It's not…too bad anymore. Sasuke made me drink Kakashi-sensei's remedy."

Sakura stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Yuck! I remember drinking that sludge. I felt like puking all over again." She laughed at the memory. "Kakashi-sensei made us memorize the ingredients and how to make it."

That perked Hinata's interest. "What's in it?"

Sakura shook her head. "You don't want to know."

Her shoulders slouched in disappointment. That was what Sasuke had told her, and now Sakura was saying the same thing. A part of her wanted to scream that it wasn't fair, but she had to convince herself that maybe she really didn't want to know what was in the mystery drink.

"So how much do you remember?" Sakura asked earnestly bringing Hinata out of her short reverie.

"Um," she felt her face heating into a blush again. "Bits and pieces." Her blush intensified. "Sasuke told me a few things."

Sakura smiled knowingly. "He told you about you wanting to go have sex, huh?"

Hinata's lowered reddened gaze answered her question making her laugh.

"Don't worry about it, Hina-chan. We all do embarrassing stuff when we're drunk. The only person that would tease you about it won't remember it."

"You mean…Ino-chan?"

"Oh yeah, she was so far gone." Sakura snickered and obviously planned to blackmail her later.

Hinata smiled calmly while small parts of the previous night ran through her mind. She remembered staying by Sasuke, and him getting Neji angry a lot. Then they played that game, and…it all became quite fuzzy after that. She somewhat recalled talking to Sakura and Naruto, but what about? She also vaguely remembered using her byakugan, but what for? Then it clicked and Hinata gasped forcing Sakura to look at her questionably.

"What's wrong, Hina-chan?"

Hinata reached over and held onto her friend's hand. "Sakura-chan…are you…?"

"Pregnant?" she smiled and nodded. "Yep. You were right. As drunk as you were, I'm surprised you noticed."

Sasuke entered into the living room and leaned against one of the walls. "So why didn't you notice?" he asked coldly making the girls turn around to look at him. "You're a medic-nin aren't you?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, but, you see…" she laughed. "I thought I just had the stomach flu. My parents were sick with it not too long ago, so I kind of assumed I caught it. Being pregnant was far from my mind."

"Oh." Hinata smiled. "So, you got…checked, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yep. Got it tested early this morning. It'll be due in May."

Hinata's smile widened and matched Sakura's large smile. "Congratulations, Sakura-chan!"

"Thanks."

Sasuke walked further into the room and sat down on the arm of the couch nearest Hinata. "And how's the idiot reacting to all of this?" Absently, his hand rested on Hinata's waist holding her closer to him.

Sakura's eyes softened as she seemed to gaze away distantly. It was broken shortly with her laugh. "He's actually more excited than me."

"I imagine Naruto-kun would be." Hinata agreed with a giggle.

Sasuke looked away from the girls. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't look irritated or angry like he would normally. Instead, he looked almost content. _Of course he'd be thrilled. _He took a side-glance to his female teammate. _He's finally getting the family he's never had._

"Even though he's happy about it," Sakura continued with amusement showing clearly in her expression. "I can see he's extremely nervous. He actually went to a bookstore the other day and bought some book called _First Time Daddy 101_." She laughed while shaking her head. "It's cute."

"Well, what'd you expect?" Sasuke added with a harsher tone to his voice. He seemed almost defensive. "He's never had a father, so how would he know anything about actually _being _one?"

The two girls were slightly taken aback by his irritated remark. Hinata met his gaze and gave him an angry look of her own. "Sasuke." She reprimanded.

He raised his eyebrows in mock innocence. "What?"

Just as Hinata was opening her mouth to say something, Sakura beat her to it. "Don't worry about it, Hina-chan. Sasuke-kun is right." She glanced down at her lap with a faint smile. "I'm proud of him, though. He really is doing everything he can to make sure that he can be a good father."

"He'll be able to." Hinata smiled wider. "Naruto-kun doesn't know how to give up on anything."

The two girls laughed while Sasuke smirked in agreement.

Sakura sighed noisily and began to stand up. "Well, I should probably get going. Naruto insists that I take it easy and be as lazy as Shikamaru." She rolled her eyes. "First time fathers…I swear…"

Hinata stood up as well to walk Sakura to the door, and Sasuke didn't move so much as an inch. "Thank you for coming by, Sakura-chan."

Sakura opened the door and turned around to face Hinata. She pulled her timid friend into a tight hug. "No need to thank me. I love hanging out with you." She released and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, by the way, we all have an appointment in a few days with the dress designers. They want to get us all measured." She eyed Sasuke. "Naruto and the rest of you are supposed to go earlier on that day before we get there." She shrugged. "Just so you know. I figured that—what with the recent news—Naruto would probably forget to tell you about it."

Sasuke grunted. "That's not surprising."

"Yeah, well, I'll see you guys later." Sakura turned around while waving her hand.

"Goodbye Sakura-chan!" Hinata waved back and watched for a few minutes to make sure Sakura got out okay. It was merely habit of course. When that was confirmed, the door closed and Hinata turned to face Sasuke with an unusual frown.

Sasuke raised a brow and stood up from the couch. "What's your problem?"

"Why are you always like that?"

"Like…?" _What is she so angry about? It's pretty much a rarity that she's even frowning._

She sighed. "Do you always…have to be so rude to everyone?"

"Hn. I'm not rude to you, so what's the big deal?" he was frowning now too.

"They're your friends." She emphasized as if that was obvious.

He shrugged indifferently. "They're used to it."

Her frown deepened. "That's no excuse…" she spoke quietly despite the anger she felt. "You should be nicer."

"Like you?" he sneered and folded his arms over his chest. "Why the hell would I want to be like that?"

Hinata's eyes widened slightly before drifting toward the ground. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." She mumbled and began to walk toward their bedroom. She got as far as the doorway before a hand grabbed hold of her arm and forced her to turn around. Before she could focus, she was abruptly pushed against the wall with Sasuke now towering over her. His scowl was undeniably frightening. She was shocked at first, but once she met Sasuke's black eyes, that immediately turned to a soft frown again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he spat. "Since when did you give a shit about how I treat our 'friends'?"

"It's not just our friends…" her brows tightened. "It's everybody. You never change."

"What's that supposed to mean?" His jaw visibly clenched.

"Nothing…" she glanced away from him not wanting to meet his gaze anymore.

With his free hand, he held onto her jaw and forced her to face him again, but her eyes continued to look away. "Look at me." He growled. When she didn't, he snarled. "Hinata! Look at me, damn it!"

She flinched and looked into his furious eyes fearfully. At that moment, she was expecting him to lash out at her, shout at her, or maybe even hit her if he was angry enough. But the last thing she was expecting was for him to crush his lips against hers passionately. To say that this surprised her would be the understatement of the year. With his lips still connected to hers, her face was frozen in shock. Her eyes were wide and her lips unresponsive. It wasn't until Sasuke began to glide his fingers under her shirt that Hinata began to respond—much against her mind that told her to stop. Somewhere back in her mind, she was yelling that she should still be angry with her fiancée. It was honestly a pointless argument, one in which Hinata herself had no idea why she was getting angry over it. Shouldn't she have been used to Sasuke and his attitude by now? Was her little spout of anger just something that had bottled up over the long years? That was plausible. Frankly, at this moment neither of them cared. It was one of their first arguments as a real couple, and it ended with them making out. It was odd.

Sasuke pulled away and noticed that they were both breathing hard. Slowly, his usual smirk appeared on his handsome face. "Now, tell me…what was it we were arguing about?"

Hinata's face could be easily described as purely dazed. "I…I'm not sure…"

His smirk widened in accomplishment. _This is good. Now, she's not the only one to dismiss an argument with a kiss._ Inwardly, he was laughing. "Although…" he brushed his lips over her face while she still tried to regain her normal breathing. "I'd have to admit. You getting angry is quite the turn on. It's a side of you I've never seen before. Needless to say, I don't hate it."

Hinata's mind was back on track now. Even though her previous anger was gone, she stared at him in disbelief. "You…are impossible, Sasuke."

He smiled crookedly. "Well, thank you."

She just shook her head with her smile dominating her features. Arguments really were pointless in their relationship. Nonetheless, their "arguments" certainly didn't damage their relationship. That much was certain.

* * *

**Ugh! Terrible ending! Man, this chapter seemed boring to me. Sorry about that guys! ****I know this chapter**** also**** seemed a little off course, but it actually has a lot to do with the story line. Okay, so maybe not ****, but there are certain things in here that tie into the remainder of the story. Hopefully, this was somewhat enjoyable. If not, then please wait patiently until I get the next one out. It will be more interesting, I swear! Please Review!**


	3. Hectic

**Author Note: **Okay, first off I want to thank everyone for their reviews. They were very much appreciated. Although, I've really been straining to get these chapters out. It's kind of just a mix between writer's block and zero motivation. So, I apologize if these are coming out kind of bad, but I'm trying really hard to get back into my old way of writing. Sorry! I'll keep trying!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**_Small Time-skip!_**

* * *

**Hectic**

"Okay, deep breaths…" Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She exhaled and opened her eyes while smiling at herself in the mirror.

Hinata couldn't blame her friend for being as nervous as she was. Marriage was a serious business. She hoped that her happiness would override her anxiety as it should when getting married to the person of your dreams.

Sakura wore probably the frilliest, puffiest, and most eye-catching wedding dress Hinata had ever seen in her life. Personally, it wasn't something she'd ever consider wearing, but it managed to compliment Sakura quite well. Hinata herself was dressed in a long maroon gown. It started from the halter-like top and ended just below her ankles. Unlike Hinata, being the maid of honor, the other bridesmaids wore the same type of dress, except theirs was more of a pink.

"Wow, Sakura…" Ino laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen you this fidgety before."

"Shut it, Ino-pig." Sakura hissed while still trying to calm her shaky nerves.

Tenten stepped forward trying to be comforting. "Hey, now don't worry. Marriage is a natural process in a relationship. Once you got that down, the only thing you have to worry about is the chance of getting divorced."

"Not helping!" Sakura whined tightening her grip on her bouquet of pink roses.

Tenten merely shrugged and walked away to go sit down.

Hinata sighed and assumed it was her turn to try and calm her pink-haired friend. She stood up and approached Sakura from the side. The bride was still trying to make her smile look more genuine. "Sakura-chan?" Hinata chided softly as she rested her hand on Sakura's arm. "It's all right. There's really no r-reason to get so worried."

Sakura snapped her attention to Hinata with eyes wide in nervous anticipation. "What do you mean there's 'no reason to get so worried'?" Her bottom lip was trembling and her eyes shifted between different parts of the room. "What if Naruto decides that a year from now he doesn't want me anymore? What if he leaves me before the baby is born? What if he doesn't want the baby at all?"

Ino and Tenten exchanged glances with their eyebrows raised. "This is why women shouldn't get married when they're pregnant." Ino stated so only Tenten would hear.

Tenten nodded in agreement. "Something about pregnancy totally turns you into a head case."

Ino leaned back. "Actually, I think it's Sakura that makes her pregnancy so nerve-wracking."

Hinata ignored the two and focused back onto her panicked friend. "Sakura-chan," she placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders to get her to focus. Only when Sakura's eyes met Hinata's did she continue. "Naruto-kun would never abandon your baby."

Sakura's shoulders slouched and she visibly relaxed. Her face lowered into an expression of regret. "I know…" she mumbled. "Naruto would never do that…I was a fool to think he would. Sorry that I'm getting so…emotional over this." She sighed deeply and tried to give Hinata a smile. "I'm just so worried that…that Naruto will regret marrying me when this is all done and over with."

Hinata's face softened into sympathy. "I believe that Naruto-kun loves you very much, Sakura-chan." She stated with a confident smile. "He asked _you _to marry _him_, didn't he?"

Sakura's smile returned to normal, and her panic seemed to dissipate. "Yeah…you're right." She laughed sheepishly. "I guess I overreacted a little."

"A little?" Ino added in sarcastically. "Here we were beginning to believe you should be locked up in a psych ward for your 'little overreaction'."

"Did I ask you?" Sakura retorted angrily.

Ino shrugged in mock innocence.

Before Sakura could blow up anymore, a knock sounded at the door and Shizune peeked around. "Hey, the ceremony is about to start. You guys need to get going!"

The girls ran ahead of Hinata exiting the room. When they disappeared from her sight, Hinata halted mid-step and held an arm around her stomach. A wave of nausea hit her for the moment tempting her to throw up. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she breathed in and out through her nose deeply. _That's strange. I hope I'm not getting sick. _She shook her head as if to dismiss the sudden dizziness. When it dissipated, she took another deep breath before leaving the room to join the others.

* * *

The ceremony was placed just below the hokage monument in the theme of a traditional outside wedding. While all of the guests, the priest, and Naruto were in the main area, the rest of the group was just around the corner awaiting their turn to go. The music began and Lee and Tenten were the first ones to go out. Next went Shikamaru and Ino (Choji and Kiba were in the audience). 

"You ready?" Sasuke muttered below his breath to the woman linked onto his arm.

Hinata glanced up at him with a wide smile. "Yes."

The corners of Sasuke's mouth twitched upward in amusement. By then, it was their turn to begin walking as the Best Man and Maid of Honor. Taking their slow walk down the aisle, Hinata caught quick glimpses of almost everyone she knew sitting in the chairs reserved for guests. It somehow didn't surprise her or Sasuke that most of the village was present. After all, it was the wedding of the future hokage.

During their walk, Sasuke took a quick glance at Hinata out of the corner of his eye. She was taking looks around at all the people and getting red in the face because of it. This caused him to smirk. "You seem nervous and it's not even your wedding." He whispered inconspicuously.

Her attention turned to him, and she seemed to relax a little more. "There are just so many people."

"Hm." He paused. "If it makes you uncomfortable, then we'll just make sure we have a small wedding."

Hinata felt her face heat into a blush again. It was strange to be talking about that when they were walking arm-in-arm down a wedding aisle. It was almost eerie.

Sasuke continued without knowing Hinata's inner reverie. "Not that I'll mind. Our dislike of crowds is something we have in common." He looked at her then. "Even so, you don't need to worry. It's not like anyone here is going to bite you." He smirked and leaned closer to her so he was whispering in her ear. "That's not including me, though."

In response, Hinata's blush darkened considerably. Luckily, they reached the end of their walk and took their positions. Sasuke stood next to Naruto, and Hinata waited like everyone else for the bride to enter.

* * *

The wedding went smoothly and not without a waterfall of tears from the female side. Actually, Gai and Lee joined the girls in their crying spree of happiness. Afterward, everyone adjourned to the rented bar, where the reception was being held. Inside, it was decorated wonderfully with the food laid out on long buffet tables, and a few waiters walking around offering champagne and other choice beverages. 

There was dancing for a short while before the cake cutting. Once that was done, almost all the rookie nine and Team Gai were covered in the cake. The short food fight began when Naruto thought it would be funny to smash the piece of cake in his wife's face. Sakura then got angry and threw her piece at Naruto. When Naruto tried to throw another piece, he missed her and ended up hitting Sasuke. Sasuke entered the cake war, and soon turned on Hinata when he caught her laughing. Eventually, everyone had joined in, and now were spending their time trying to clear away most of the frosting. Before they finished all the way, it was time for the toasts.

Everyone stood in a circle around the married couple while the waiters ran around trying to get everyone a glass. At one part of the circle, Sasuke was standing in front of his fiancée, who was still wiping away the frosting on his face with her wide smile present. He was almost clean except for the part she was wiping away at the moment.

Her soft fingers rubbed lightly at the frosting around the left side of Sasuke's mouth. When she pulled it back, she slipped her frosting-covered finger into her mouth. She tilted her head to the side and giggled. She pulled her finger back out and giggled once more at Sasuke. The small specks of frosting pretty much offset his glaring face.

He strained to keep from smiling, but it proved useless so he just smirked. "You think that's funny, do you?"

"Mhm."

"Don't make me have to get revenge on you." He said playfully.

She furrowed her brows warily. "For laughing?"

He nodded mischievously and leaned toward her until his face was barely an inch from hers. "I obviously amused you, so it's your turn to amuse me."

Her eyes widened a fraction. _Uh oh. _"Um…W-What do you want?" When she saw his smirk widen, she realized that was probably the wrong question to ask.

"Nothing much…" he trailed off and moved so that his mouth hovered above her ear. "I just want you to blush for me."

She gave him a strange look at that as if she didn't blush all the time anyway. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he had already started to nibble on her ear before licking away some of the frosting he found on the side of her face. He pulled away quickly and achieved his goal. Hinata was blushing madly making him chuckle quietly.

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted them.

They turned toward the voice to see one of the waiters carrying a tray of champagne.

"Care for a glass?" he asked with a work-forced smile.

Sasuke and Hinata took one for each of them. When the waiter left, Sasuke faced Hinata sternly. "You're only drinking a few sips of that, understand?"

Without any hesitation, she nodded. "I know." She looked down at the liquid, and cringed inwardly in remembrance of the last time she drank something alcoholic.

Tsunade stepped forward bringing everyone's attention to her. "All right, everyone!" she raised her glass toward the newlyweds. "A toast to Naruto and Sakura—may you enjoy all the happiness of marriage."

"More like _survive_." Kakashi muttered under his breath only to receive a scowl from the fifth hokage.

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered in agreement before taking a drink. And even though the drinking stopped there for Hinata, it did not stop there for the rest of the group. Therefore, by the end of the night, nearly everyone was inebriated beyond their skills to walk home.

* * *

_**The Next Morning...**_

_Hinata,  
__Going to go train with Kakashi and the idiot.  
__I'll pick you up after work.  
__Sasuke_

Hinata shook her head with a smile on her face as she placed the paper back down on the kitchen table. She drank the last bit of her hot tea, checked herself in the mirror, and left out the door. After her short vacation for the wedding, it was back to work at the hospital. She remembered how thrilled Sasuke was when he found out he didn't have to work there anymore. After all, the "assistants" weren't really needed anymore since the Rain allies had left a few months ago. She ignored the shudder that ran up her spine at the memory.

The minute she arrived at the hospital, she wasn't surprised that she was immediately put to work. Sakura was taking a few vacation days, so it left just Hinata and Ino as the head medical ninja. Honestly, Hinata didn't mind; she loved her job.

Hinata softly closed one of the patient room doors behind her. As she walked down the hall, she brought her hand up to her face to wipe the sweat from her brow. She checked her watch and smiled in relief. It was her break time. With that in mind, she made a turn and opened the door into the lounge room. Letting out a deep sigh, she almost didn't notice her friend sitting at the table with a coffee in hand. "Well, hey Hina-chan." Ino greeted with a smile. "You look exhausted—come sit down and grab a coffee."

"Okay." She didn't grab the coffee (it didn't sound appealing at the moment), but she did sit down next to her blonde friend.

"It's been busy today, hasn't it?" Ino spoke up and took a sip from her hot beverage.

"It has." Hinata agreed and rested her head on her folded arms.

Ino glanced at her with a raised brow. "Are you okay, Hina-chan? You don't look so good." She watched as Hinata faced her confusedly. Ino merely leaned forward as if analyzing a patient. "You're definitely a little paler than normal. Is it that time of the month?"

Hinata stared blankly for a moment before shaking her head. "No—maybe I'm just sick."

Ino shook her head as if she were disappointed. "That's not good. Maybe you wouldn't get sick if you weren't overloading yourself with work."

"B-But Ino-chan…I haven't been to work all weekend." She tried to defend herself from sounding like some kind of workaholic.

"Either have I, and I already feel like I've worked as much as I do in a week." She grumbled under her breath.

Hinata looked down at the table for a quick moment before she felt another wave of nausea hit her. One arm immediately wrapped around her torso. _Oh no. _Instead of it just passing, she could feel her stomach churning and her gag reflexes kick in. _Oh no! _She jumped up from the table with her hand covering her mouth.

Ino snapped her attention to her worriedly. "What is it, Hina-chan? What's wrong?"

Hinata didn't reply and just ran to the bathroom in the lounge room. Once she entered, all she saw in her sight was the toilet almost welcoming her. She ran to it and knelt down hunching over the bowl. At the same time her hand left her mouth, the contents of her stomach erupted out of it and into the awaiting toilet bowl.

Ino ran in after her and widened her eyes in even more worry. "Hina-chan! Oh my god!" she knelt next to Hinata and pulled back her hair so it wouldn't get in the way. "Holy crap—you are sick!"

Her puking halted after a minute allowing for Hinata to lean back and take deep breaths. Ino handed her a paper towel, which she used to dry her mouth. When Hinata seemed relaxed enough, Ino examined her thoroughly. "You should head home."

"N-No, it's fine." She objected. "I feel b-better now…I can still work. I-I only have an hour left anyway."

"Hina-chan…" Ino whispered and then narrowed her eyes. "You said you feel better now?"

Hinata looked at her noting her obvious worry. "Y-Yes."

Ino's face tightened in suspicion. "Honestly?"

"Yes." She stated more confidently assuring her that it wasn't a lie.

The blonde backed away from her shy friend and stood up with her hands on her hips. "When was your last period?"

Despite the "normal" question, an instant blush rose on Hinata's cheeks. "W-What?"

Ino remained serious. "Your last period—when was it?"

She looked down in thought and her finger found its way to her bottom lip. "I-um…it's been awhile, so…I should've…started…last…week…" she trailed off seeing the realization dawn not only on Ino but herself as well. At this, she couldn't seem to form any words.

Ino tried to look comforting. "Hina-chan…You don't think that maybe you could be…you know…pregnant?"

"P-Pregnant…Me?" her face seemed to pale further.

"Well, yeah. How else would you explain the nausea and the fact that you're late?"

"I-I-I…"

"That and you're sexually active." She paused seeing Hinata's face redden once again. "You admitted it yourself, remember?"

Hinata's gaze dropped to the floor and her body slouched. "I-I suppose you're right…"

"But, you should probably check it just in case." Ino touched her finger to her lip. She nodded to herself and glanced back down at Hinata. Her face softened when she saw the despair written all over her forlorn face. "Hina-chan?"

Without her realizing it, tears had begun to fall down Hinata's face. "This isn't good…" she whispered. "This isn't g-good…"

Ino schooled her features into one of concern and comfort. After kneeling down next to her friend again, she placed her hand on her back soothingly. "What are you talking about, Hina-chan?" she laughed shortly. "You've always been saying how much you wanted kids someday."

"Y-Yes, but…" she whimpered. "That's not what I'm…what I'm worried about." She paused to stifle a sob.

"Oh." Ino caught on. "You're worried about Sasuke-kun, right?"

Instead of replying verbally, Hinata just nodded solemnly.

Ino's smile wavered. "Well, no need to worry about that. I mean, we were all there when Sakura found out she was pregnant—even though I barely remember it—and Naruto practically leaped for joy!"

"B-But N-Naruto-kun…h-he isn't like Sasuke…"

"Well, that's true…" She had to agree, but it only made it more difficult to bring comfort to the shy Hyuga. "But, I don't think he'll be angry."

Hinata looked up at her then with a twinge of hope. "H-How do you know?"

"Well, I don't…but…" Ino watched Hinata's face return to hopelessness. She sighed audibly. "Look, Hina-chan, if it makes you feel better, you don't know for sure that you're really pregnant, right? I mean, we're just assuming here."

Hinata let that information sink into her, and it did manage to make her feel better. "You're right…"

"Okay," Ino smiled. "Let's finish up work, and don't think about it until you get home alright? Just make sure you take some pregnancy tests with you when you go."

Hinata nodded. "Okay." She stood up with Ino and turned to face her with her usual smile. "Thank you, Ino-chan."

"No problem." She gave her a thumbs up.

"Um, one more thing…" Hinata muttered. "C-Could you please keep this a…a secret?"

"Uh…" Even Ino knew she had a hard time keeping secrets, but one look at Hinata's face gave her more self-confidence. "Okay, you got it, Hina-chan! It's a secret until you give me the okay to tell everyone else!"

* * *

At the end of Hinata's shift, she made sure to grab a few pregnancy tests like Ino had suggested. Once she hid them in her coat so Sasuke wouldn't see, she walked out the main doors. The first thing her eyes set on was Sasuke leaning casually against a nearby tree. When he heard her quiet footsteps, he looked up and smirked softly. "Ready to go?" 

Hinata nodded and averted her gaze elsewhere.

Seeing this, Sasuke frowned. "What's wrong?"

Her head shot up in alarm. "W-What do you mean? N-Nothing's wrong."

He raised a brow. "Yeah right. You actually look guilty. What did you do?"

"N-Nothing!"

His suspicion grew. "Right. Seriously—what's going on?"

"Nothing. It's nothing at all. I'm just…" she paused shortly. "I'm just not feeling too well."

"Odd. You didn't drink much yesterday." They began walking away from the hospital.

"It's probably just a cold…" she replied meekly hoping that the subject will drop for the time being.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Hm." He faced forward again. _She looks anxious or nervous about something. Although, she does look a little pale, so maybe she is coming down with something. _He sighed unnoticeably. _Nevertheless…I don't think a 'cold' would make her so edgy. _His eyes narrowed. _I'll just have to watch her closely for the next day or so. Whatever is going on with her…I hope it's not serious_

* * *

**Okay! It's better than my last chapter and the drama returns! Alright! I'm excited now. Please review though, okay?**


	4. Test

**Author Note:**Sorry guys! I had a hard time trying to think of how I was going to put this chapter together. It's a very important one, so I had to take my time with it. Surely, you guys understand, right?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

**Test**

Autumn had arrived in Konoha along with the cold breezes. The falling golden leaves were beautiful as they fell to the ground to join the other uniquely colored leaves. The warm weather had left, and jackets became necessary. Despite all that, this time of year held many great and happy moments for the Rookie Nine and even Team Gai. Naruto and Sakura hit it off with their wedding and first pregnancy announcement. The two Uzumakis were thrilled to find out that they were beginning a family so soon—Naruto more than Sakura. Lee and Tenten were expected to have the next wedding, and it was assumable that Sasuke and Hinata would follow afterward. On that note, it was curious to wonder what the reactions of the group would be if they were to find out that Hinata was possibly pregnant as well. Of course, this wasn't a proven fact, but just wondering about it made the poor timid Hyuga more quiet than usual.

Worries flooded her mind.

_What will my friends say?_

_What will Shino-kun and Kiba-kun think?_

_What about father and Hanabi-chan?_

_What about Neji-kun?_

_If I told him, would he try to kill Sasuke?_

_Would he think of me badly?_

_And…what will Sasuke say?_

_How will he react? Will he be mad or happy?_

_Does he even want children? Will he not want to marry me when he finds out?_

_Will I be left alone…?_

_No! Don't think like that Hinata! _She reprimanded herself with a stern face. Amidst her thoughts, she tried to focus on finishing up her and her fiancée's dinner. Ino had told her to not even think about it until she got home. Well, now she was at home and she almost regretted it. She knew she was a terrible liar as well as actress, so how on earth would she be able to keep this from Sasuke? Over the short time they were together, he was now able to read her like a book. Would he be able to read _this _as clearly?

Her hand furiously stirred the stew as if it were the cause for all her problems. Her usual peaceful face was taken over by an uncharacteristic frown. Hinata was so deep in thought, she nearly jumped five feet when she felt two arms wrap around her from behind. Sasuke's hold loosened to allow her to relax, and didn't let her see the skeptical expression on his face. Yes, something definitely wasn't right with her. "S-S-Sasuke…" Hinata sighed in relief.

When he felt that she wasn't so tense anymore, he tightened his grip around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Of course it's me. Who else would it be?"

She didn't move for a moment and finally shook her head. "I'm sorry…I wasn't paying attention."

"Obviously." A moment of silence enveloped them while Sasuke watched Hinata's trembling hand stir their dinner. "What's going on with you, Hinata?"

She tensed again. "N-Nothing…I-I'm just not feeling well—"

"Liar." He breathed against her neck and closed his eyes in contentment.

"It's nothing, Sasuke. Please don't worry about it."

"You should know better than anyone that I can't do that."

"Please…?"

"Not until you tell me what's got you so worked up."

Her eyes fell to the substance she was stirring only to notice that she had stopped stirring, and was just staring down at it dazedly. "I…" she whispered barely audible. "I'm afraid to…"

Sasuke furrowed his brows as many thoughts ran through his mind. _This is serious. I need to find out what's going on. She might be hurt or…she might be suffering right now. Why then would she be afraid to tell me that? Unless—like the Yori incident—somebody is causing her pain. _

Hinata immediately felt his arms tighten considerably around her making her gasp. She didn't need to look behind her to know that he was probably scowling hatefully. "S-Sasuke…y-you're holding me too tightly."

His scowl disappeared and he loosened his grip backing away from her slowly. "Sorry…Did I hurt you?" His voice was void of emotion.

"No…" she murmured and placed the stirring spoon to the side. Reluctantly, she turned around to face him with her back leaning against the counter and her hands clasped in front of her. "I'm okay." _I think._

He nodded and kept his facial cast quite blank. Not being the type to beat around the bush, Sasuke decided to just be direct. "Is somebody hurting you?"

Hinata's wide eyes met his quickly in shock. He looked dead serious and quite threatening, but Hinata just felt completely confused. _Why would he…? Oh…I almost forgot. _She smiled at him reassuringly. "Of course not, Sasuke."

He sighed in relief, but straightened his face back to stoicism. "Then why are you afraid to tell me?"

More silence followed, and Hinata's eyes drifted to various parts of the kitchen. Inwardly, she was debating just what to tell him. "I just…" she stumbled for words. It was difficult to try to explain what she didn't want to reveal just yet. After all, she hadn't the time yet to take the pregnancy tests, so if it came back negative, all their worrying would've been for nothing. Therefore, she had to try to convince him that everything was okay—at least until she got her results back. "I'm not really sure yet…"

"Sure about what?" he questioned feeling the uncomfortable confusion settle in.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times making her feel like an idiot for probably looking like a fish. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she decided to just lay all her worries out on the table. "I'm afraid to tell you so soon, because I don't even know yet. And I'm afraid you'll be angry at me, and that you won't want me anymore—" Tears brimmed in her eyes and her lip began to tremble. "What if it's too soon, or we're not capable yet? What if you're really happy about it and it doesn't work out? What if something bad happens? What if I get depressed? What if you get so mad at me, you call off the marriage and I'll be all alone?" her sobs were breaking up her words making it almost difficult for anyone to understand her.

"Hinata." Sasuke tried to call to her as he closed the distance between them by placing his hands on her shoulders firmly.

She continued to sob. "I'm so afraid, and worried, and terrified, and—" her words became muffled by Sasuke's fingers, which were pressed against her lips.

"Sh—Hinata. Calm down." He chided softly while moving his hand from her lips to cradle her face. He moved his thumb in relaxing circles to soothe her. "Damn it, woman. That's the most I've heard you speak in the past year."

She sniffled. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize—it's unnecessary." He exhaled deeply and didn't care about showing her just how worried and concerned he was at the moment. "You know I don't have a clue what you were just saying, right?"

"Sorr—" she stopped herself and bit down on her lip.

His eyes analyzed her face noticing just how despairing she looked. Whatever was going on was bothering her incredibly. And anything that bothered her would most assuredly bother her fiancée. "All right," he began as he wiped away her tears. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I…don't think so." Seeing his face harden, she quickly continued. "It's not that I don't _want _to tell you…it's just that…I can't tell you until…until I know for sure."

"Okay…" he muttered. "So, you _will _tell me—just not now?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Okay, we're off to a good start." He paused, but didn't tear his eyes away from hers. "Now, just relax and let me ask you a few questions. It's better if you don't answer verbally in case you start rambling again, so just nod or shake your head, okay?"

Hinata nodded in understanding.

Sasuke inhaled deeply trying to calm himself before he started the questioning. Once he was ready, he narrowed his eyes and gazed into her white orbs with a great intensity. "All right…Do you think it might make me angry?"

She nodded regrettably.

His eyebrows rose innocently in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Isn't there a chance it might make me happy?"

Slowly, she nodded.

"So, there's a fifty-fifty chance I could be happy or mad?"

She nodded more firmly.

"Can you _want _whatever this is?" Strangely, he felt like he was playing twenty questions.

Her eyes drifted to a corner of the room for a moment before meeting back up with his. Again, she nodded.

"Do _you _think I'll want it?"

Hinata pursed her lips and her eyebrows lowered in deep thought.

When she didn't move, he decided to clarify. "You're not sure?"

Her mouth tightened into a line while she shook her head.

Sasuke was beginning to see why she was getting so worked up. It was so like Hinata to be more worried about other people rather than herself. So, whatever it was it must affect him as well. Taking another deep breath, he began a little unsurely. "Do _you _want this?"

Hesitantly, Hinata nodded once again with a small smile gracing her lips.

Feeling as if a burden had been lifted, Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. In relief, he rested his forehead against hers and felt the corners of his mouth lifting upward. His voice became a confident whisper. "Then there's no need to worry."

"But, Sasuke—"

"No. If you want something, then I want it too. I made this decision when I asked you to marry me. So, it might anger me—who cares? I'm not going to hate you for it." It almost sounded like he was explaining something everyone should know.

Hinata opened her mouth to protest her worries further, but Sasuke beat her to it.

"And I'm not going to leave you either." His smile was gone and he held her face in his hands to emphasize how serious he was. "We're in this together, remember? Whatever happens can happen. We'll face it side by side. Understand?"

A thankful smile took control over Hinata's features. "Yes."

"If you want whatever it is, then it couldn't possibly make me mad. If you're happy, that's all that matters…to me." He smirked. "I'll wait—not patiently—but I'll wait."

Hinata's smile widened at the same time she wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face against his chest. "I love you, Sasuke."

"I know." He grumbled incoherently. "I love you too."

The Hyuga giggled. "You sound so happy."

Ignoring her sarcastic comment, he buried his face in her hair to inhale her wondrous scent. "You have no idea." They stayed like that for a whole minute before Sasuke's head jerked up. "I think our dinner is burning."

Hinata gasped loudly. "Oh no!"

* * *

**_The Next Morning..._**

Now was the time. Sasuke had left to go train again, and Hinata had but a few moments before leaving to the hospital. So far, she had been lucky. Any time she began to feel nauseas and knew that it wasn't going to pass, she managed to escape the bedroom during the night without waking Sasuke. She was quite thankful he had more than one bathroom in the house allowing her to relieve the contents of her stomach in a place where Sasuke wouldn't hear. Hinata was also grateful for Sasuke training every morning so diligently, and that he always left before her. Thus, this was her only chance to use the tests since the Uchiha wasn't present.

When she left the hospital the previous day, she managed to take six pregnancy sticks. She wanted to be sure and knew that some pregnancy tests could come out false. It was better to have six tests tell her the answer instead of just one.

Hinata paced the floor outside of the bathroom in anxiety for what would soon be revealed. She had just about chewed her lip through until she forced herself to stop. Now, she kept focus on her fiddling fingers, a nervous habit she thought she almost got rid of. With a quick glance at her watch, she held her breath seeing that the time was up. Exhaling deeply, she tried to calm her quick-beating heart before walking into the bathroom.

Upon entering, she saw the sticks placed along the counter face-down. Once she was standing in front of them, she reached out a trembling hand to turn over the first pregnancy stick. At seeing the answer, she breathed in a shaky breath. "Positive." She gulped and turned over the next one. "Negative. Okay, one positive, one negative." She turned the third one over. "Two positives, one negative." Hinata turned the fourth one over. "Three positives, one negative." The fifth one was next. "Three positives, two negatives." Her eyes moved to the last deciding factor. If it was negative, then she would have to go get more. If it was positive…then that was simple enough to answer. She would be pregnant. As her hand held it in her grasp, she tried fervently to steady her shaking hand. No sound could overpower the rapid beating of her heart against her ribcage. _Just do it. Just turn it over and get it done with! _She nodded to herself and turned it over in her hand and settled her eyes on the final answer.

Letting out a shaky sigh, she dropped the stick on the countertop and slumped down to the floor with her back to the wall. Hinata pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on her kneecaps. A few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she wasn't sobbing. "I can't believe it…" she whispered. With a slow move of her hand, she rested her palm against her stomach and a few more tears dripped from her chin. "I'm…actually pregnant."

After wiping her eyes dry and throwing away the pregnancy tests in the kitchen trashcan, she left out the front door to head to the hospital. There was a favor she had to ask of Tsunade.

* * *

**_Hours later..._**

Sasuke and Naruto had just finished their training session, and were on their way back to the Uchiha compound. Naruto's close presence seemed to bother his best friend. "Is there a reason why you're still following me?" Sasuke spoke in irritation.

Naruto laughed nervously. "What are you talking about, Sasuke? We're friends, remember? We're supposed to hang out like this."

"Since when?"

"Since now." Naruto tried to sound stern, but his edginess was easily discernable.

Sasuke raised a suspicious brow. "Shouldn't you be home taking care of your wife and soon-to-be child?"

"Uh…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head with that nervous laugh again. "Well, about that…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued walking knowing that Naruto would follow. "Let me guess, you got in a fight."

"No, not really…not yet anyway." He grumbled lowly.

"So, you did something to piss her off, which means she'll get angry with you when you get home."

"Uh, I don't think so."

"Then what is it? Stop following me and go home." Sasuke snapped upon reaching the front door of his house. While he was unlocking the door, he knew Naruto still had more to say.

"Look, I just need to hang out here for a little bit, okay?" Naruto pleaded following the stoic Uchiha into his home.

Sasuke closed the door behind them and walked into the kitchen with his blonde teammate close on his trail.

"You don't know what its like! She's moody all the time! I mean, she always had a bad temper, but now it's like triple that!" Naruto complained watching Sasuke sit down at the kitchen table calmly. "And when she's not yelling at every little thing I do, she's crying and saying these stupid things like, 'Naruto, you don't love me anymore' or 'Naruto, will you leave me because I'll get fat?' and 'If I grow out my hair, do you think it'll look better?'…It's driving me insane! And when she's not doing any of that, she's puking her guts in the bathroom!"

"That's pregnancy, Naruto. Get used to it. You got months to go." Sasuke smirked in amusement at his friend's matrimonial pain.

Naruto groaned loudly. "Don't remind me! Granny Tsunade said I'll have to go fetch Sakura-chan whatever type of food she's craving at the moment…no matter what time it is!" he was shuffling around not really paying attention to where he was going.

Only Sasuke noticed that there was a good chance that Naruto was going to run into something, whether it be the chair, the counter, or even the full trashcan.

As if thoughts could summon actions, Naruto accidentally ran into the trashcan sending it tumbling to the ground. "Oh shit! My bad! I'll pick it up!"

The trash scattered over the tiled floor making Sasuke groan in annoyance. "Damn it, Naruto." He stood up and walked over to help pick up the various pieces of trash.

* * *

"Ino told me you wanted to see me." Tsunade closed the lounge door behind her taking quick notice that it was only her and Hinata in the room. "What's up?" 

Hinata stopped fiddling with her fingers long enough to face the hokage with her cheeks red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry if I bothered you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade smiled and stood in front of the shy woman. "Nonsense. Now, tell me what you need, Hina-chan."

"Um…well, you see…" she gulped and looked around the room trying to gain a little more self-confidence. "I-I was wondering if maybe you could…check something for me."

"Uh, okay." She muttered slowly with her brows furrowed. "You're not sick, are you?"

"Um, no…not necessarily." She bit down on her lip. "Um…the thing is, Tsunade-sama, is that…I think I may be…um…expecting."

The blonde's eyebrows rose in surprise and laughed when she saw how impossibly red Hinata's face was getting. Without a second's hesitation, the fifth embraced Hinata in a tight hug. "Congratulations, Hina-chan! Have you told Sasuke? What did he say?"

It wasn't until Tsunade released Hinata that she was able to reply. "Well, I haven't exactly…told him yet. But, it's because I wanted to…make sure first."

"Oh…I see." She folded her arms under her chest. In only a minute, she went from motherly friend to medical specialist. "Did you use any pregnancy tests?"

"Yes, ma'am. I used six. Four came back positive and two were negative."

"Hmm…Well, you were smart in asking for a real check-up. Pregnancy tests aren't always reliable, so it's always good to get checked out by the hospital."

Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Tsunade sighed planting her hands on her hips. "Let's get you checked out then, Hina-chan." A wide grin appeared on the hokage's face. "Let's find out if you're really pregnant. Follow me."

* * *

"You clumsy idiot…" Sasuke mumbled throwing an apple core back into the trashcan. 

"Hey, I said I was sorry, okay? And I'm helping with the pick-up, so stop grumbling." Naruto retorted picking up a piece at a time with his forefinger and thumb. With each item, he crinkled his nose in disgust.

"If you had gone home when I told you, this wouldn't have happened."

"Yeah, well, if Sakura-chan wasn't such a moody pregnant lady, I wouldn't have come here."

"How is that my problem?"

"You're my best friend—it's your responsibility to shelter me from the wrath of my wife."

"Yeah right…"

"Hey, I'll do it for you when you get in a fight with Hinata-chan!"

Sasuke didn't say anything and just stared at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto stared back blankly before giving him a sheepish grin. "Oh yeah…it's impossible to get in a fight with Hinata-chan. Geez…lucky bastard."

Sasuke smirked smugly and stood up letting Naruto pick up the last of it. "Not impossible. We've gotten in arguments before. They just don't end with a temporary separation."

Naruto was curious as to why Sasuke's smirk looked so sly. "What do you mean?"

The dark-haired man leaned against the counter. "Just that our arguments end differently—that's all."

"I don't get it."

"You wouldn't."

Instead of replying, Naruto picked up the last of the trash while muttering colorful words under his breath. That breath soon halted and his body froze.

Sasuke raised his brow again wondering what Naruto was doing.

"Hey…Sasuke…"

"What?" he walked closer to Naruto and bent down to see what he was looking at.

"These wouldn't happen to belong to Hinata-chan…would they?" he turned toward him holding out a few objects in his open palm.

Sasuke peered down analytically knowing exactly what the "objects" were. The two men were quiet and just gazed at the used pregnancy tests.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto was the first to speak. "Dude…I don't think Sakura-chan is the only one pregnant anymore."

Sasuke was as still as a statue with eyes wide and his mouth open.

* * *

"All right, Hina-chan…" Tsunade began holding a clipboard in hand. 

Hinata sat down on one of the beds with her gown being the only clothing on her at the moment. Her hands fisted together in nervous anticipation.

"I got the results for you, and believe me…these are final."

Hinata nodded. "I understand, Tsunade-sama."

A familiar grin broke out across Tsunade's face. "You're pregnant, honey. There's no doubt about it. So, really, congratulations!"

"Um…thank you, Tsunade-sama…" Hinata exhaled deeply and actually felt relieved. The tension was gone, and was replaced by pure contentment.

"You're in the early stage, so you won't be able to see a noticeable fetus for another month or so." Tsunade explained. "But I can tell you that you're completely healthy, which is good news for your baby. You're a little over a month pregnant, so you should be expecting to give birth next…Oh, would you look at that."

"What is it?" Hinata asked seeing her hokage's amused expression.

"Sasuke's birthday is in July, right?"

"Yes."

She laughed. "Looks like you'll be giving birth around his birthday."

* * *

**Yeah! I know this might sound weird, but I'm excited for the next chapter. This'll be fun! Please review!**


	5. Reactions

**Author Note: **Well, I sure hope you guys are ready for this. I don't even know if I am. Weird…

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

**Reactions**

Naruto waved his hand in front of Sasuke's face in an attempt to bring the Uchiha back to the real world. "Hello! Sasuke! Snap back to reality, bastard! Hey!" Nothing was working. Ever since they found those positive pregnancy tests in the trash, Sasuke pretty much went catatonic. The blonde managed to move his friend to the living room couch to sit down, but Sasuke's expression hadn't changed. Naruto would say he's in a daze, but even dazed people would still be in tuned to what was happening around them. It almost seemed like his mind had left his body to go on vacation.

Naruto was, however, relieved to see that there was some kind of emotion playing on the cold man's face. Like before, Sasuke's eyes were wide and his mouth was open in utter shock. Who could blame him? He just found out that his fiancée is pregnant, and he found out in one of the worst ways. He guessed it could've been worse. At least he didn't find out from some random person, who managed to hear the news before he did. Even so, finding out the news by digging through the trashcan? That's definitely something you don't hear or see everyday.

Sasuke assumed the reason for his absence of real verbal emotion was because he simply wasn't sure how to feel at the moment. Shouldn't he be delighted to find out that his clan was going to get revived after all? Shouldn't he be thrilled and nervous at the same time that he was going to be a first time father? Shouldn't he be excited for the adorable way Hinata was going to grow? Or…should he be angry that she wasn't the one to tell him?

One thing was for sure, though. He now fully understood the content of everything he and Hinata talked about the previous night. Every worry, question, and fear that Hinata expressed made sense now. Even his own questions of curiosity made sense now. Strangely, that seemed to pacify any chance of him getting angry with her. Somehow, seeing Hinata scared and anxious erased any extreme reaction he had in mind.

Naruto gripped the collar of Sasuke's shirt and shook him. "Sasuke! Snap out of it already! Yes, Hinata-chan is pregnant and you're going to have a kid. The least you could do is come out of it so you can talk to Hinata-chan about it when she gets home!"

Well, that worked. Sasuke blinked a few times, and stared blankly at Naruto before pushing him away.

"It's about time!" Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "I was beginning to think I'd have to throw you against the wall a few times."

Normally, the raven-haired avenger would retort angrily to that, but he still had trouble deciding just what to say. All that he administered was, "Hinata's pregnant."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "Well, yeah. We just covered that, remember?"

Sasuke gazed at some unimportant spot on the wall. "She's pregnant…with my child."

"Yeah…" Naruto agreed slowly wondering if his friend was really out of his daze yet.

Sasuke faced Naruto with an expression Naruto recognized quite well. "I'm going to be a father."

At that, Naruto gave him a small smile and a quiet laugh. "Yeah…crazy, isn't it?" he collapsed onto the couch with his hands behind his head. "I still have no idea how to describe the feeling."

"Mind-blowing…"

"Heh…that works." Silence enveloped them for a short amount of time before Naruto stood up and walked toward the door. "All right…Well, I'm going to head back home." He opened the door and glanced at Sasuke before closing it behind him. "Try not to cry."

"Don't be ridiculous." Sasuke tightened his mouth into a thin line while looking away from Naruto.

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah…you say that now." And he left leaving Sasuke alone for the moment before Hinata would arrive. In the meantime, he continued to sit on the couch with his fingers tapping in obvious anticipation.

* * *

Hinata entered the Uchiha compound and made her way toward her home. With every step, she grew more and more nervous. Along the way, she had been thinking of different ways to break the news to Sasuke, but it just ended up in stammering ramblings. It'd be a shock if he would be able to understand her. Knowing that, she could only sigh in distress. It was going to be harder than she originally thought. 

She knew that Sasuke was home, and that just seemed to intensify the butterflies in her stomach. When she stopped in front of the door, her hand trembled as she reached for the handle. She gulped and touched the handle for a whole second before drawing it back to her side. She whimpered and lowered her gaze to the ground. _Come on, Hinata. You can do this! _She chided to herself. _Just go in there, and tell him. No stuttering, no pausing, no blushing…just tell him that I'm pregnant—that's all. It's not that hard… _Hinata stared sternly at the door and wrapped her hand around the handle once more. But before she even twisted it, her self-confidence dropped again. Releasing the handle, she rested her forehead against the door and closed her eyes in disappointment at her own spinelessness. _I'm such a coward…I can't even— _Her thoughts were stopped short when the door opened and her body fell forward.

She let out a yelp in surprise while simultaneously closing her eyes shut tightly and bracing for the fall. She should've known it wouldn't come. She should've known that he would catch her in his strong arms reserved only for her. Her eyes opened slowly seeing that she had buried her face in his chest while his arms steadied her.

"You knew the door was unlocked, right?" he asked in his typical you're-an-idiot tone.

Her eyes met with his. "Um, yes…I just…I'm sorry."

With a snort, he helped her straighten up and closed the door. "Enough with the apologizing. It gets annoying when you did nothing wrong."

She was tempted to apologize again, but stopped before it escaped her lips. Instead, she gazed into his face with her anxiety becoming noticeable. "Sasuke…?"

He looked at her in patient waiting.

"Um, I…I have something…that I want to tell you."

She didn't notice that his eyes widened a fraction as if he just remembered something. "Yeah…about that…"

Her open mouth clamped shut as his words began to process.

"I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to say." He led her to the couch to sit down with his hand entwined with hers.

"Y-You do?" her eyebrows furrowed in question.

He shrugged. "I was thinking about it, and I figured you were going to be a nervous wreck. So, why don't I try to lessen your panic a little?" He met her confused eyes and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. She didn't even have time to react before he pulled away, and hovered his mouth over her ear. "I thought I told you not to worry. You said you wanted this," he whispered and moved his hand down to rest on her stomach taking notice of the way she tensed. "So I want it as well."

"Sasuke…" she watched him back away in order to see her reaction. It was ironic. All this time she was worried about his reaction, and instead he was the one looking worried about her reaction. She almost wanted to laugh if she wasn't so tongue-tied. "You knew?"

His eyebrows rose innocently. "More like I found out."

Hinata stared at him skeptically for a quick second before her face turned into shock. "Ino-chan told you?"

"No, I—wait a minute. The Yamanaka knew before me?" He was beginning to feel his anger return.

"No—I mean, yes, she did know…" she saw his scowl appear and panicked. "But that's only because she was there when I found out."

His scowl dropped abruptly. "Oh." Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "So, then that means that everybody must know by now."

She hesitated. "No, I don't think so. I asked her to keep it a secret until…until I knew for sure."

"You know for sure now, right?"

"Yes, but I haven't told her that yet. I…" she grinned sheepishly. "I wanted to be the one to tell you…not some stranger."

A smirk twisted at his lips. "I was beginning to think I would have to hear it from a stranger. I wasn't really sure how long you were going to withhold that little bit of information from me. Not that it matters anymore."

She smiled in obvious relief. "So…" she became nervous again. "You're not angry?"

He leaned toward her again brushing his lips against hers. "I'm actually more dumbstruck than angry—believe it or not."

She giggled. "That's odd. _The _Sasuke Uchiha dumbstruck? I didn't think it was possible."

His smirk turned into a smile while running the tip of his nose over her face. "Heh…either did I. Then again, this is _you _we're talking about. You always found a way to knock down my defenses."

"So, are you happy then?" her tone was light with hope.

"I'm not sure." He sounded puzzled. "Actually, I think I'm still in shock. I'm waiting for some kind of loud reaction to come from me any minute."

Her giggle resounded in the quiet room. "_The _Sasuke Uchiha shocked? I didn't—"

"Shut up." He spoke with humor before claiming her lips in a passionate kiss, which they both enjoyed with an insurmountable amount of contentment.

When they parted for air, Hinata raised a curious brow. "Um, Sasuke, I was wondering…"

"Hm?"

"Um…How exactly did you find out that I'm pregnant?"

* * *

Through the opened bedroom window, Sasuke and Hinata could hear the twittering of the birds, the rustle of the leaves, and the whispers of the breeze. As they lay on their bed, no words needed to be said to express their tranquility. Hinata lay on her back with her fingers combing through her fiancée's hair. As for Sasuke, he lay further down on the bed with the side of his face resting on Hinata's bare stomach. His rough and calloused fingers caressed the soft skin around her belly button. In their moment of peace, they each wore content smiles. 

It was broken when Hinata emitted a light giggle. "That tickles, Sasuke."

His smile widened and he lifted his face to place a trail of light kisses along her stomach leading up to her neck line. "I wonder if this is how Naruto felt."

"Hm?" she met his inquiring eyes in curiosity.

"Knowing that our lives are going to permanently change now. We're going to be fathers. There's no possible way to describe the way that feels." He smirked. "I'm sure it's the same way for the soon-to-be mothers."

Hinata smiled softly and ran her knuckles over his cheek. "It is beyond words. I can feel the life inside of me," she rested her hand over her stomach with a far-off look in her eyes. "The life we created…together."

He gazed at her knowing exactly what she meant.

Hinata's eyes drifted back to meet his. "I'm…kind of nervous, but happy at the same time."

Sasuke chuckled and nuzzled his face in her neck.

"Are you…nervous too?"

"That goes without saying." He replied honestly. "Everybody gets nervous about something that they've never experienced before. And this is serious. We're going to be raising a child—our child. It's not exactly something we know much about." Sasuke paused shortly. "I want to be a good father, but the only fathering I know is the type of father mine was." His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "And I do _not _want to be anything like him."

Sensing his hostility, Hinata smoothed his hair away from his face showing her understanding and sympathy. "My mother…died when I was really young. So…I never really knew her. I never really knew…what it was like having a mother. I'm nervous because…because I don't know the first thing about how to be a good mother."

Sasuke's internal rage slipped away in a deep sigh. "Our parental knowledge sure is comforting." He spoke sarcastically.

Hinata giggled again. "We could always…borrow Naruto-kun's parenting books."

The comical glare he gave her only made her giggle more. "No way. We don't need a book to tell us how to raise our own children."

"It was just a suggestion." She bit down on her lip in laughter.

He merely grunted, then faced her with a raised brow. "By the way…What are you going to tell your family?"

Hinata froze in clear tension. "M-My f-f-family…?"

"Yes. You were planning on telling them, right?"

"Um, yes…but…"

"But?"

Her eyes shifted uneasily.

"What—do you want me to come with you?"

"No!" she replied quickly taking him aback by her abruptness. "I mean…no. I don't want anything to happen…between you and Neji-kun."

"Oh…" he smirked humorously.

"And…" she touched her finger to her lip. "Father will want us to set a date…for our wedding."

"I agree." He nodded sternly. "It'll have to be before…" he glanced down at her stomach. "Your pregnancy becomes noticeable."

"We have a few months before…it'll start to show, so…"

"Lee's wedding is at the end of next month, so we can plan it between October and December."

Hinata smiled excitedly. "Let's do it in December…before my birthday. It'll be snowy."

Sasuke smirked and raised a brow in amusement. He brushed his lips over her face while absently taking in her familiar scent. "And that's your idea of a perfect wedding, is it?"

"Well…" she fiddled with her fingers in embarrassment. "It would be pretty."

"December it is then." He murmured nipping on her bottom lip earning him a moan in return. "Now that it's settled," his lips moved against hers. "You should go break the news to your family. I'll get the bad end of it if they find out from someone else."

* * *

Hinata inhaled and exhaled deeply while staring at the front entrance gates to the Hyuga compound. She came at the time when she knew Neji would be over to train with her father. It was better to just tell them all rather than one by one. As long as Sasuke wasn't there, she assumed she'd have nothing to worry about. There was no doubt in her mind that Neji wouldn't react too kindly when he found out that she was pregnant…with Sasuke's child. In fact, if Sasuke had come with her, it wouldn't surprise anyone when Neji would charge Sasuke full on with the clear intent to kill. Knowing this, Hinata sighed in exhaustion. Men are so predictable. 

Not bothering to knock, Hinata entered her old home and walked toward the main courtyard. She smiled in nostalgia at seeing her elder cousin and father spar with their byakugans activated. Sitting off to the side watching in observation was Hinata's fourteen year old sister, Hanabi. Her smile widened in happiness knowing that these three were her family, whom she cherished incredibly. _Although, my family won't just consist of those three anymore. Pretty soon, there'll be two new members. _Hinata tried to stifle her giggle into her hand, but it still managed to draw the others' attention to her.

The three stopped their movements to glance over at the new arrival. While Hiashi and Neji stared on in slight surprise, Hanabi jumped up and ran toward Hinata. "Hinata-chan!" she wrapped her arms around her sister embracing her in a tight hug.

Hinata smiled and returned the hug. "Hello, Hanabi-chan."

Hiashi and Neji straightened from their positions and walked over to greet the timid woman.

Hanabi released Hinata, but her wide smile didn't fade. "You finally came over to visit! You used to visit all the time…" she pouted her lip. "But now you're spending all your time with your fiancée. It's no fair…Why does he get special treatment?"

"Hanabi, leave your sister alone." Hiashi reprimanded. "You should be appreciative with the time you spend with her. Once she's married, it'll have to be _you _who will have to go to visit her."

"Yes, father." She grumbled with her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest.

"Now," Hiashi gave Hinata a small smile. "It is good to see you again, my daughter."

Neji gave her his strange smile-smirk that she was so used to. "What's the occasion? Is the Uchiha out on a mission?"

Hinata gave him a comical frown. "You all make it sound…like I never come here at all."

At this, they all chuckled. Neji walked over and gave Hinata a hug in greeting, which she returned thankfully. When he pulled away, he kept his arm around her shoulder. "So, really, what's the occasion?"

Hiashi spoke up before she did. "Are you interested in having a training session with us? It's been awhile since I've sparred with my eldest. I'm curious to see how your skills have grown."

"Um, actually…" A light blush painted her cheeks, and she looked downward hoping they wouldn't notice how nervous she was. "I think I'll pass this time."

All three raised their brows. Hiashi was the one to break the short term silence. "Don't tell me you have given up on your training, Hinata." His face contorted into a familiar disappointment.

"No, father," she defended quickly. "It's not that I don't _want _to…It's just that…I don't think I _can_…"

Their eyebrows rose further in suspicion. Hanabi looked worried. "What's wrong, Hinata-chan? Are you sick or something?"

"Um, no…I'm not. It's just that…well…" she stumbled with words. _Why is this always so difficult to say? I almost wish they knew beforehand like Sasuke. It'd save me all this blushing and fidgeting._

Neji backed away to face her directly. "It's just what?"

"Um, well…" she took a deep breath and faced them looking more confident than she felt. "I was always told that…it's not very good for the baby if you do extraneous activity."

They almost nodded in understanding until they caught onto the key word in her explanation. "Baby?!" They all shouted in unison.

And then came all the other shouts.

"I'm going to be an aunt! Cool!"

"The Uchiha impregnated you! That bastard!"

"I'm going to be a grandfather…? I think I need to sit down."

From what Hinata noticed, Hanabi was ecstatic, her father looked like he was going to pass out, and Neji looked as though he were going to pop a blood vessel. With another sigh, she knew she should've expected as much from her family. One look at the fury imprinted on her cousin's face was reason enough why she didn't bring Sasuke with her.

Hanabi ran up to Hinata again. "This is so great! I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt! Oh, we have to go shopping now!" she rambled on. "We'll get a crib, and blankets, and diapers, and maternity clothes. Oh, you'll look so cute in those pregnancy outfits, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata laughed shakily and faced the other two warily. "Um, are you two…all right?"

Hiashi didn't move, but Neji clenched his fists. "I'm going to kill him!" he began trudging forward only to be blocked by Hanabi.

"Oh, no you don't, Neji. That baby needs a father, so if you kill Sasuke-san, he or she won't have one."

He pushed past her making his way toward the gate with great ambition. "I'll find the kid a new father—one that didn't impregnate my little cousin."

Two steps from reaching the gate, Hanabi yelled out with obvious threat. "Neji Hyuga! You take one step out that gate and Hinata-chan will hate you forever!"

Neji halted immediately, and gave her a sinister glare. "That's not…fair."

Hanabi laughed. "Whoever said life was fair? Geez, Neji, you'd think you'd know that what with all your destiny speeches you gave to us all those years ago."

Neji growled in reply and faced away with his hands still balled into fists at his side.

Hinata exhaled deeply while inwardly thanking her sister for stopping him. Now, she faced her father again, who still hadn't moved much. Although, his face looked paler. "F-Father…are you okay?"

He stared back at her with wide eyes. "You're pregnant. My daughter is having a child…" his facial expression returned to the usual lecturing one she recognized. "You're not even married yet."

"I-I know…" she muttered feeling nervous again. Suddenly, it was like she was twelve years old all over again.

"You need to at least set a date before you show any development. It would at least look honorable that way." He sighed. "I'm disappointed in you, Hinata. Women should always save themselves for the man they're to marry."

"T-Technically, I—"

He interrupted her with a wave of his hand. "I don't want to hear it. In fact, that's something no father wants to know about." With another loud sigh, he approached her until he towered over her.

Hinata felt herself trembling and tried to brace herself for any punishment she was going to receive. But, instead, she felt her eyes widen and her mouth fall agape when she noticed that her father actually pulled her into his stiff embrace.

"You really have grown into a woman, Hinata. You are not the little girl I remember." He pulled away and his smile looked almost saddened. "I didn't want to see it until now, but you have grown into a beautiful and smart woman. You remind me a lot of your mother. And…" At this point, he looked kind of uncomfortable. "I am very proud of you."

Tears sprung to Hinata's eyes and her bottom lip trembled. Without warning, she jumped into her father's arms wrapping her arms around him firmly. She pressed her forehead against his chest while her tears streamed down her face. "Thank you, father. I love you so much."

He chuckled while placing his hands on her shoulders to push her away gently. When her weeping face came into view, his smile became more genuine. "You really are a lot like your mother. You inherited her excess of emotions—that goes without question."

Hinata wiped away her tears, and tried to strengthen her smile. She took glances around at the three in caution. "So, you all r-really are okay with this?"

Hiashi nodded with a smile. "As long as you schedule that wedding soon."

Hinata nodded in understanding, and turned to Hanabi.

"Hell yes! This'll be awesome!"

"Hanabi! Watch your language."

"Sorry, father."

Hinata giggled and then turned to face the person she always referred to as her brother. It was his approval that she wanted the most.

Neji sighed in defeat, but kept his face stern. Even then, his eyes were soft and the corners of his mouth were tempted to rise upward. "You really have no idea how impossible it is for anyone to say 'no' to you."

Knowing that was his way of acceptance, Hinata ran toward him giving him a thankful hug. "Thank you, Neji-kun. I-It means a lot to me."

His arms wrapped around her. "Yeah. But I'm only approving on one condition."

She looked up at him in wary anticipation.

Neji cracked a smirk. "I'll be coming by to check up on you…frequently."

Hinata nodded and smiled, while inwardly wondering how Sasuke would take to that news.

* * *

**Okay, all done with that chapter. Now, I have to bring back the major drama. I got to make sure there are plenty of complications on the way. Anyway, please review!**


	6. Checkup

**Author Note: **Thank you for the reviews! You guys are the best!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**_Time-Skip: One month later..._**

* * *

**Check-Up**

The dark sky was constantly emitting sheets of non-stop rain amidst the random thunder and lightning bolts. Despite how much rain was falling onto the ground, it still wasn't enough to wash away the multiple puddles of blood. The blood, of course, belonged to his clan. He knew he was running—very fast—but had no idea where he was headed. His small frame wracked with whimpers as he passed each of his family members falling to the ground becoming eternally motionless. The faces and bodies became a blur as his young legs continued to force him to run faster and faster.

Before he knew it, he had stopped in front of a set of double doors. It was strange that everything around him was swarmed in the darkness except for these doors. As he stared at the doors, he knew he didn't want to go in there. Much to his dismay, his arms reacted against his will and opened the doors in one swift movement. The room was completely dark making him feel blind. That is, until the lightning soared across the sky illuminating the room for one long second. It only took that short amount of time for the young Uchiha's eyes to absorb the cause for his next scream.

He tried to focus his eyes on the lifeless bodies of his parents, but yet again, his eyes moved against his will. The only thing he saw was a pair of red sharingan eyes. But before he even thought to scream once more, all the darkness dissipated and his younger form had returned to his present form of twenty years of age. Unlike before, he was now soaking in the bright light of a summer's day. The trees were swaying in the breeze he couldn't feel, and the thick grass moved against his bare feet, which he also couldn't feel.

As he looked around the small meadow, it seemed it was entirely empty except for the angelic figure that appeared in front of him. It didn't even take a second for him to recognize the beautiful angel of his dreams. "Sasuke…" she whispered into the breeze that swayed through her dark locks. He watched her lips move as they spoke his name and her voice was that of a siren's. Her gentle smile warmed his heart allowing him to smile at her in return. "Sasuke…" Her soft hand rested against his cheek while she moved closer to him.

Sasuke spread out his arms so as to wrap them around her, but she backed away from him with a mischievous smile and a wave of her finger. He felt his face form into a frown, but it slowly disappeared when she approached him again to show him why he couldn't embrace her as tightly as he wanted to. Her hand reached for his until she was holding it firmly in her grasp. His eyes followed her movements curiously. She led his hand to rest on her outgrown stomach. As his hand rested there, he couldn't help but feel utter peace. Sasuke couldn't feel the breeze or the grass below his feet, but just underneath his palm he could feel a light heartbeat that sounded like a soothing melody.

He could feel it—just under his own fingers—the life that he and his beloved had created. He smiled in content and lifted his gaze to rest on his future wife and mother-to-be. Once her expression was made clear, his eyes widened. Her smile had vanished and was replaced by a look of pure terror. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but that was answered for him just as quick..

Sasuke only blinked once, and the darkness returned. His pregnant fiancée wasn't in front of him anymore. Instead, she was a good distance away. She cried out to him with screams of fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks in desperation. She was crying for help—his help. In response, he began to run toward her, but no matter how fast he ran, it never seemed like he was getting any closer.

His feet suddenly stopped moving when a dark figure appeared behind his angelic Hinata. While she stayed as still as a statue, the dark figure's arms wrapped around her and a small light illuminated his face. The first feature that struck Sasuke cold was the eyes. The eyes that were that same piercing red sharingan color. In other words, they were the eyes of his older brother.

Sasuke's breathing grew heavy in panic as he watched his brother bite Hinata's neck leaving a trail of blood flowing down over her collarbone and chest.

Hinata's piercing scream reverberated in the empty atmosphere, and shattered his heart. "Hinata!" he shouted and tried to run again, but it felt like his feet were stuck in cement. Nonetheless, he struggled to get free. "Hinata!"

Itachi backed away from her only to hold a kunai to the life inside of Hinata's rounded belly. A dark chuckle escaped the older Uchiha's lips. "Foolish little brother. Have you no hatred towards me anymore? I can change that."

Sasuke saw the kunai began to stab through Hinata's stomach. "No! Itachi, don't! Stop this! Stop it!" he shouted in a desperate plea, but it went unheard over his beloved's scream of agony.

"No!" Sasuke yelled out hoarsely while forcing his body into an upright position. His eyes were wide open, he could feel the trickles of sweat on his body, and he was panting heavily. His sight took in his familiar bedroom along with the bed he was laying in and the blankets now crumpled in his lap. Just as quick, his eyes darted to his right seeing a figure sleeping peacefully just under the covers. He blinked a few times, sighed deeply, and tried to normalize his breathing.

Glancing out the bedroom window, he watched as the thick rain poured down the window and was only made visible when a flash of lightning would occur followed by the rumble of the thunder. Turning his attention back to the sleeping Hinata, he laid back down and pulled her gently against him. Only when he could feel her light breaths against his bare chest as well as the light thumping of her heart, did he reassure himself that it was only a nightmare. She was safe in his arms…alive. Moving his hand down to rest over her still flat stomach, he sighed again. And his child was still alive too.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "Hinata…" he whispered and then felt her stir in his hold. Her eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times until they were able to focus on his forlorn face.

"Sasuke…?"

"Did I wake you?"

She shook her head and nuzzled closer to him. "No…" she sighed sleepily. "I believe I'm still asleep."

He chuckled lightly and began to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. Despite him not wanting to, she could feel his fingers still shaking.

"Are you okay?" she asked with obvious concern.

"Yeah…I'm alright." He answered uncertainly.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head solemnly. "It's nothing. I just had a bad dream."

Hinata's hand moved to caress his face. "Do you want to…tell me about it?"

He shook his head again. "Not right now. You should go back to sleep."

With a nod of her head, her eyes drifted close. Within a minute, she was back in her dream world.

His arms tightened around her knowing that he wasn't planning on going back to sleep. Instead, he just wanted to stay awake holding the love of his life in his protective arms.

* * *

"Aren't you tired of this yet?" Sasuke asked while he let Hinata fix his tie. 

Hinata just smiled. "Not really." She began to straighten out his tux and even his hair. "I'm happy that our friends…are getting married."

"Well, sure, but…" he sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "One wedding a year is good enough for me. But lately, these weddings have been happening back-to-back. I'm really starting think I should just buy a tux rather than rent one."

She giggled and gathered up her purse before they headed out the front door of their home. Once they were outside, Hinata lifted up the bottom of her dark green gown so it wouldn't get any dirt on it. After all, they had to walk to get to the wedding. She took a quick glance at the time seeing that they were going to be early enough. Like the previous wedding, they were both taking part in it. Sasuke was one of the groomsmen and Hinata was once again the maid of honor.

Frankly, it didn't surprise anyone that Tenten would pick Hinata for the position. Hinata was the closest female friend Tenten had. Lee had chosen their sensei to be his best man, and wanted Neji, Naruto, Sasuke, and even Gaara to be his groomsmen. In order to make sure that they all had a bridesmaid to escort down the aisle, Tenten chose the other closest female friends she had. This included Sakura, Ino, Temari, and Hinata's little sister Hanabi. Of course, the weapons mistress wasn't nearly as close with them as she was to the ex-heiress.

They arrived at the clearing in the forest where the wedding would be held. Instead of going to sit with the rest of the audience, the couple made their way to a secluded spot. Lee went up first so he could stand in his spot, and Tenten was carefully hidden in a different area. As for the rest, they stood ready to take their walks down the aisle. Upon arriving, Sasuke and Hinata went to go stand with the person they were to escort or be escorted by. Sasuke went to the front of the line and stood next to Hanabi. Hinata, on the other hand, went to the back of the line and stood next to the overly emotional Gai.

Glancing back at his fiancée, Sasuke struggled to keep from snickering at Hinata's distress. Gai had her encircle her arm around his at the same time he was trying to keep his tears at bay. "Hinata-chan, you are looking beautiful in your youthfulness today. If it is possible, the life inside of you has surely increased that youth."

"Um, thank you, Gai-sensei…" _I think._

He continued. "But today..." Tears rolled down his cheeks as he pumped his fist into the air. "My dearest pupil Lee has become the epitome of youthfulness! I'm so proud!"

In front of Hinata, stood Naruto and Sakura arm in arm. They glanced back to her with sympathetic smiles, which she greatly appreciated. In front of them was Neji and Ino paired up. From what Hinata could see, her elder cousin didn't look the least bit thrilled. After all, he didn't like loud people, and Ino was rambling on and on about something or other. Ahead of them were Gaara and Temari. The red-headed kazekage was silent, but Temari was keeping herself busy by looking around for her lazy boyfriend. And finally, Hinata spotted her sister and future husband standing at the front of the line.

When their gazes met, Hinata gave him a comical frown noticing that he was still smirking in amusement at the man she was paired up with. Seeing her frown only made him chuckle and face the front.

"I can't believe I have to be paired up with you!" Hanabi whined with her arms crossed over her chest. "You of all people! Geez…what lousy luck I have."

Sasuke smirked. "There's no use keeping up appearances. I know you think of me as a brother."

Hanabi snorted. "Yeah…an annoying brother, who keeps my sister hostage."

"For your information, it's not like Hinata complains about it."

"Oh, shut up!" she retorted and heard the music began signaling they had to get moving. Sasuke held out his arm with that smirk ever-present on his face. Hanabi huffed and put her arm in place before they began to walk down the aisle.

The wedding went smoothly, and not without the continual cries of Gai and his nearest and dearest student. It wasn't hard to miss the eye rolls they received but didn't notice.

The reception came and was located in a neighboring clearing with buffet tables set up along with many picnic benches. Even so, most of the people just stood around in different groups conversing friendly. Hinata was torn away from her group when she heard the fifth hokage call her and Sasuke over. With a quick glance of curiosity toward each other, they eventually made their way over.

Tsunade led them to a more secluded area so they wouldn't be interrupted. When it was cleared, Tsunade gave them both smiles--well, mainly Hinata. "It's been a little over a month, Hina-chan. You know what that means, right?"

Hinata smiled weakly. "N-Not really..."

The older lady just laughed. "I want you at work bright and early tomorrow, so that we can fit your monthly check-up in afterward. We need to see how your precious cargo is doing."

"Oh..." Hinata smiled. "Okay. I'll do that, Tsunade-sama."

"Good." She faced Sasuke. "Oh, and the father's usually go to these appointments, so I thought I should tell you about it. You shouldn't be too busy, right?" She narrowed her eyes as if daring him to refuse.

"Of course not. It is the father's job after all."

"Good." she smiled proudly. "Be there around three, alright?"

Sasuke just nodded, and they both watched Tsunade walk away. When she had disappeared, Sasuke heard Hinata sigh deeply. "What?"

She shook her head. "Those check-ups are usually quite...uncomfortable."

He raised an analytical brow. "You've had them before?"

She flushed and waved her hands in front of her face defensively. "No-No, of course not...I mean...I've given them before, and...most of the women say that they usually hate that first check-up."

"Why?" Now, he was curious.

"Well..." her eyes strayed away from his awkwardly. "When the baby is only a fetus and...they have to check it's health, which includes hearing the heartbeat..." Hinata bit down on her lip. "They have to, um...detect it f-from the i-inside..."

He stared at her blankly before it slowly began to dawn on him. His face scrunched up into a distasteful frown. "You mean...something has to be...shoved up...there?"

Hinata giggled at his struggle for words. "Yes."

While his expression remained the same, Sasuke groaned in disgust. "Now, I'm not sure if I want to be there."

"B-But, Sasuke...you said..."

He smirked. "I was joking, Hinata. Although in my opinion...there's only one thing that should be shoved up there."

"Sasuke!"

He just chuckled.

* * *

Hinata laid back down on the hospital bed feeling slightly disgruntled at having to wear only a hospital gown. Truth be told she always hated wearing those. Even if it was for the doctor's easy access, it was still weird. 

Sasuke sat beside her with her hand clasped firmly in his. While Hinata's gaze turned toward Sasuke, his gaze remained on the hokage. Although, when it was time for the part he thought "disgusting" he faced Hinata and tried to keep her mind occupied on anything but the pressure she must have been feeling.

"So, when will you start getting bigger?"

"Um..." she glanced quickly toward Tsunade before forcing her focus back on Sasuke. "Not for another month or so. It usually...doesn't start to really show until...my second trimester."

"Ah..." he nodded in understanding. It was becoming difficult for him to think of things to talk about. When they were alone, it was never a problem, but as of right then there was another presence in the room. Despite how focused she was in her work, he knew she could hear everything they were saying to each other. At the point when he asked her what he should expect from her pregnancy behavior, he didn't miss the upturn in Tsunade's lips. She apparently thought mood swings and extensive gas build-up was hilarious.

It wasn't until halfway through that Tsunade became eerily quiet, and her expression froze in a confused frown. Even though Hinata missed it, Sasuke sure didn't. He couldn't help feeling anxious at what was causing it.

Tsunade leaned back with her arms crossed in front of her, and her expression serious. Her stern eyes focused on the couple in front her, and they were easily able to detect a sense of uneasiness and worry emitting from their strong hokage. "Hina-chan...I'm going to need a few answers from you."

"Um..." Hinata sat up straighter and absently tightened her grip on Sasuke's hand. "Okay, Tsunade-sama."

Sasuke's brows furrowed, and he could feel his heart speeding up in panic. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her fingers over her forehead. "It's strange, but...I can't seem to detect a heartbeat."

Hinata inhaled a quick and shaky breath. Even though Sasuke tried looking impassive, their inward panic probably matched each other's. "No heartbeat?" he muttered disbelieving. "What does that mean...exactly?"

Tsunade's expression emanated pure sympathy. She licked her lips before beginning. "It means...that it could possibly be a miscarriage."

"M-Miscarriage...?" Hinata was breathing quickly now trying with every ounce to keep her tears from spilling.

Sasuke's eyes shifted to different parts of the room. With his free hand, he brought his fist up to rest against his mouth. "So...what you're saying is...is that our child could quite possibly be..."

She nodded solemnly trying not to get emotional as well. "Dead..." she finished and avoided looking at Hinata's tear-filled eyes. Gulping harshly, she sat up and attempted to look more business-like. "There's always a good percentage of women who have miscarriages on their first pregnancies. But it's usually not without cause."

"Meaning?" Sasuke asked with venom dripping from his voice.

"Meaning..." Tsunade began. "That if there was any chance that you may have..." she searched for the right words, which just didn't sound right when it came to the timid Hyuga. "Caused harm unto the baby, then it could've caused the miscarriage. In most cases, it's usually due to drugs, alcohol, or physical damage to the womb. Am I making sense?"

They just remained still as stone.

Tsunade continued anyway. "What I'm trying to ask here is...Hina-chan--I seriously doubt it, but--have you done any of these things since the child was conceived?"

Hinata was about to shake her head, but a memory of Ino's party flashed before her, and her tears streamed from her eyes. Seeing this, Sasuke knew what she was thinking about.

Taking notice that Hinata was probably not going to answer, she turned to Sasuke with a pleading look.

Sasuke met her gaze and looked completely sorrowful. "Before Naruto's wedding...we all went to a party at Yamanaka's place." he cleared his throat. "Hinata became inebriated due to her spiked drink. Could that have...?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and nodded grimly. "I'm afraid it's very plausible."

"Can't you do anything about it?" Sasuke snapped in desperation. "You're the best medical ninja out there! You can't simply--"

"No." she interrupted with a scowl. "I can't simply just do anything. This is a human life, not an injury. I can heal wounds, not bring souls back from the dead."

Sasuke was getting angrier by the second. "Then maybe I should've kept Orochimaru alive!"

"Sasuke...!" Hinata pleaded drawing his attention back to her.

Seeing her face wet with tears forced his anger to subside. "Sorry, Hinata. That was stupid of me." It didn't sound sincere to Tsunade, but it was apparently clear to his future wife. "It's just..." he met Hinata's gaze resting his palm against her cheek, and began to wipe away her tears with his thumb. "I was...We were so..."

Hinata sniffed and nodded in agreement. "We were happy."

"Yeah..."

Tsunade's voice broke through the tense atmosphere. "I'll need you to come back in a month from now for another check-up."

"What's the point?" Sasuke retorted bitterly.

"I'll run some more tests, and if the results are still the same, then..." she shook her head in defeat. "We'll have to schedule the surgery to get the fetus removed. I'm so sorry, you two...I'll be the first to admit that you would be the last ones to deserve this."

* * *

**Depressing eh? Sorry about this guys. Don't try to feel too depressed yet. I've got more in mind, and things should turn upward soon. Please review though?**


	7. Tears

**Author Note: **Thanks for the reviews! Also, I'm three weeks into my first year of college, and the homework is keeping me quite busy. Luckily, I have a four-day weekend now, so I finally have time to get this out. Thank you for your patience!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

**Tears**

Sasuke pushed away the covers and stood up out of his bed. Standing there in only his sweat pants, he turned around to glance at his fiancee. She was laying still on her side with her back toward him. There was no doubt in his mind that she was awake, and must've been for the past hour or so—if not, all night. Lowering his eyes, he trudged to the bathroom to take a shower and prepare for the day.

It didn't surprise him that when he came out of the bathroom all dressed and ready, Hinata was still laying on the bed underneath the covers with her eyes frozen on the wall. She wasn't even looking at the wall itself. Her eyes weren't focused on anything, but her mind was. She could feel more tears stinging to escape despite how much she cried and sobbed the previous night and day. Hinata continued to wonder if there was truly ever an end to her tears.

If he had to guess, he would say she went catatonic, but there were features about her that proved that guess wrong. For instance, she would reply to anything he asked her, she would glance at him now and then when she thought he wasn't looking, and an almost inaudible whimper would escape her lips at different times. No, she wasn't catatonic, but she wasn't the Hinata he knew either. Then again, he couldn't blame her for reacting that way. The possibility of having a miscarriage was strong, and that tore at Hinata's heart along with Sasuke's. Even so, Sasuke made sure not to show any of his emotions so he could focus on comforting the one he loved most.

With a sigh, he walked slowly toward the bedroom door and cracked it open.

"Are you leaving?" her whisper forced him to stop in the middle of the doorway.

"Yeah..." he replied softly. "I was going to go meet Naruto and Kakashi for training."

Hinata didn't reply, but her eyelids drooped.

He inhaled and thought he should make an attempt, even though he knew she'd refuse. "Did...Did you want to come?"

"No, thank you." The tone of her voice was hers, but it was also lifeless.

Sasuke nodded. "I'll be back later then."

"Okay..."

With that, he walked through the doorway closing it behind him. He walked even slower through the living room while making his way to the front door. He grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, and flung the door open letting the cold breeze run over his skin. With his jacket slung over his arm, Sasuke didn't leave the house. Instead, he just stood in the doorway staring blankly outside. He took a glance back inside resting his eyes on the closed bedroom door. If he were to strain his ears, he'd probably hear the quiet sobs coming from the timid Hyuga.

Sasuke dropped his hand from the door handle and took a step back inside the house. He exhaled deeply and placed his hand over his forehead and eyes. His other hand fisted at his side. With a slam, he shut the front door, and made his way quietly toward the bedroom. He pushed the door open non-too-gently and paused at the foot of the bed. His determined gaze rested solely on Hinata.

Seeing his rough entrance, Hinata gasped and wiped at her wet cheeks fervently. "S-Sorry...I-I thought you...you were g-going to go t-train...?"

"I was..." he trailed off and walked over to his side of the bed. He stood there and watched as Hinata turned so she could face him. Her eyes were beginning to get red and puffy, and her vulnerability was too visible. This sight crushed him internally. Kicking off his shoes, and shrugging out of his thicker clothes layers, he slipped into his bed. He scooted until he was barely an inch away from Hinata, and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I won't leave you alone."

It only took those words and his embrace to make Hinata break down into more sobs. Her arms wrapped around his torso, and she buried her face into his shirt. "S-S-Sasuke..." she cried out clutching onto him tighter. "I-I don't u-understand..." she hiccuped and absently felt his fingers stroke through her hair and his lips brush against her forehead. "I felt it...the l-life inside of m-me...it was there...I felt it...But, why...why d-did this have to h-happen? Why? Why...?"

Sasuke's eyes closed painfully and he gulped to get rid of the emotion that tried so furtively to surface. "Shh—Hinata. It's alright...Everything's going to be fine."

"N-No, it's not!" she sobbed weakly. "It hurts...I-I don't want...to be alive if...if our b-baby can't be alive t-too..."

Sasuke's expression became stone-like. He pushed Hinata back a little bit and grasped onto her chin firmly. When he had forced her gaze to meet his, he let out a subconscious growl. "Don't say that, Hinata. Don't you _ever _even think that." His voice dripped with a threatening venom that surprised Hinata momentarily. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. He continued. "It's hard enough for me to lose our child...You want me to lose you as well?" Sasuke's hard voice turned into a fierce whisper just before he rested his forehead against hers. "I can't...I can't lose you, Hinata...I can't..."

Hinata's lip trembled and she closed her eyes to release another stream of tears. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Hinata," Sasuke caressed her cheek with his thumb. "If this really doesn't work out, then...we can try again. We can keep trying for as long as it takes. Just...don't ever think that again. Please...I can't lose you..."

"I-I...p-promise, Sasuke...It just...It hurts so much..."

"I know..." he whispered kissing away her tears. "I know..."

* * *

_**A Few Weeks Later...**_

Tsunade watched as she tapped her manicured fingers on the surface of her desk. Since the appointment a few weeks ago, her thoughts hadn't strayed much from Sasuke and Hinata's predicament. Sure, there were false alarms sometimes about there being no heartbeat, and Tsunade could only pray that it was the case for this couple. She had told the couple to come in a month from their last appointment, but she had just recently called and asked Hinata if she could reschedule the appointment for later in the day. Taking a quick glance at the clock on the wall, she read that she had to wait for four more hours before Hinata's appointment.

A knock at her office door forced her out of her thoughts. She cleared her throat. "Come in."

Once the door opened, Ino and Sakura came through with their hospital uniforms on. "Good morning, Tsunade-sama." They greeted simultaneously.

"Morning ladies." she greeted back cracking a weak smile. "Well, Sakura, I see you're back. Didn't want an extra day huh?"

Ino came over and sat down, and Sakura sat down on the other seat. With a snort and a roll of her eyes, she began. "Yeah right. If I stayed at home any longer, I think I'd go crazy. I love Naruto, but he's not exactly the right person to be around when you're going through mood swings."

Tsunade laughed. "Poor boy...I heard he's been taking refugee at the Uchiha manor on certain occasions."

Sakura nodded. "He hasn't gone in awhile, but it's true. I just feel bad for sending him over there with Hina-chan there. She's going through mood swings too, so Naruto sure as hell wouldn't help."

Tsunade became quiet and her happy face faded.

Without missing a beat, Ino piped up eagerly. "Speaking of which, we came here to see if you knew when Hina-chan is coming in. She normally comes in before us, but we didn't see her. In fact, I haven't seen her in awhile...Did she end up taking a few days off or something?"

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, I've been wanting to see if she would like to go clothes shopping with me."

Tsunade stared out a nearby window with a far-away look in her eyes. "I gave Hina-chan the month off."

Both girls stared at her incredulously. "A month?" Ino asked disbelieving.

"Really?" Sakura chimed in. "A whole month? That's pretty generous of you, Tsunade-sama. You usually only let us have a maximum of a week off. What, is she sick?"

Tsunade's brows furrowed. "Not necessarily. I think it'd be best if she just spent some time away from work and more time with her future husband." her voice trailed off into a whisper. "She's going to need it..."

Now noticing the despairing look on their fifth hokage, Sakura leaned forward on her seat. "What do you mean, Tsunade-sama? Is something wrong with Hina-chan? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Ino looked as equally worried as her pink-haired friend.

Tsunade sighed deeply and turned to face the women. "I'll tell you because I believe it'll be necessary, and it might make things easier for the both of them. But I also need to warn you to leave them alone for awhile, okay?"

"Why?" They both asked in unison.

"It'd be best if they didn't receive any company for another good week or so. If they want to spend time with you, you let them ask first, understand?"

"What's going on, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, you're kind of scaring us here."

"Just promise me that much, okay?" Tsunade persisted and didn't look away from them until they agreed. When that was taken care of, Tsunade's features formed into one of complete sorrow. "During Hina-chan's check-up a couple weeks ago...I wasn't able to detect a heartbeat from the womb..." she heard them gasp and immediately look saddened. "Which means...there's a really good chance that Sasuke and Hinata are going to lose their child."

* * *

"No way..." Naruto muttered sadly lowering his distraught gaze to the floor below his feet. He was currently sitting on the couch in his and Sakura's living room with his wife next to him, and Ino and Choji right across from them. Shikamaru was leaning against one of the walls with a pensive expression on his face. 

"That's what Tsunade-sama told us..." Sakura whispered.

"But it's still early right?" Naruto asked with hope clear in his deep blue eyes. "She's not that far in the pregnancy, so there's a chance that the baby's heartbeat just hasn't started up yet...right?"

Sakura bit down on her lip and took a quick glance at Ino's forlorn face before facing her husband once again. Trying her best to hold back the tears that wanted to escape, she shook her head slowly.

Naruto's eyebrows rose just before he buried his head in his hands.

"Who else knows?" Shikamaru broke in while glancing between the two females.

Ino answered. "Besides Tsunade-sama and Sasuke-kun and Hina-chan...just us."

He nodded and gazed out of one of the windows. "Shouldn't someone tell her family? Mainly Neji."

The others looked around uneasily until Choji spoke up. "I agree, but I heard that Neji went on a mission with his team. He's been on it for the past couple weeks."

Shikamaru tilted his head in question. "Yeah, I heard that too, but I thought he was supposed to get back sometime this week?"

Choji just shrugged with indifference.

After a short moment of silence, Naruto stood up with his fists clenched at his sides.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"It's not fair...They don't deserve this." his whispered words were stern and held an underlying tone of anger. "Sasuke...Hinata-chan...They finally found happiness, and now...it's all being taken away from them. It's just not fair!"

"Naruto..." Sakura murmured.

Ino's eyebrows knotted together. "I think we get it that it's not fair. The point is...what can we possibly do to make it 'fair'?"

"I...I don't know..." The normally hyperactive blonde grumbled and began to stalk toward the front door. "But I'm gonna go see them! Sasuke, Hinata-chan, here I come!"

Two feet from reaching the door, he was immediately held back by not only his wife, but Ino as well. "No, Naruto!" Sakura shouted. "Don't even think about it!"

"What—why? They need us, Sakura-chan!"

"No, Naruto! Tsunade-sama said it would be best if we left them alone for awhile!"

Ino relaxed her hold. "She's right about that too! Tsunade-sama told us because she thought it would be better if we knew. Do you not know Sasuke-kun and Hina-chan at all?" she continued to question noticing he paused at hearing her last sentence.

When Naruto didn't speak, Sakura moved to stand in front of him. "Sasuke-kun and Hina-chan are both quiet and reserved people. They're not the types to draw attention to themselves. And you should know better than anyone that when they're hurting, they prefer to be alone...or in this case, with each other. Which explains why we haven't heard from or seen them in awhile." Sakura trailed off into a whisper. "This isn't our place...They're our friends, but...there's really nothing we can do to help them. There's nothing we can do to make it better or even make them _feel _better. All we can do is just support them from the sidelines..."

There was a long moment of silence before Naruto began walking toward the door once again. Before stepping outside, he side-glanced at the group with a sad smile. "Shikamaru is right..." he paused and faced the outside cold weather. "Neji has the right to know. Hopefully, he's back from his mission. Either way, I'll go find out. Maybe there's at least something _he _can do..."

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes slowly and took time adjusting to the light. The first sight she saw was Sasuke's sleeping face until her eyes trailed over to the bedroom window. If she had to guess, it was mid-afternoon. For awhile, they had been sleeping most of the days. They'd lay in each other's arms for most of the night, and sleep in until the afternoon. They hadn't left the house, and would only get out of bed for bathroom, hygienic, and feeding purposes. 

Hinata yawned quietly. _I have to go meet Tsunade-sama soon. I should probably leave now so I can get to my appointment on time. _She gazed back to Sasuke and gently stroked her fingers over his face. _Sasuke, I'll go alone. There doesn't need to be two of us there to take the bad news. It's bad enough that one of us has to suffer the final answer..._ With that, she sighed and silently released herself from his hold. Once she was standing up and looking down at him, she knew he must've been really tired if her movements didn't even jostle him. She sighed again in relief.

After cleaning herself up and leaving a note on the table for Sasuke, she left the house and began her walk toward the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Hinata didn't have to wait for more than a few minutes before being escorted into her designated room. She changed into her gown and lied down on the bed. Tsunade entered giving Hinata a sympathetic smile. "Well, Hina-chan? We have a lot of tests to do, and you'll be given a break halfway through, so...let's get started, alright?"

Hinata nodded and wrapped her arms protectively around her torso.

* * *

_**A few hours later...**_

Sasuke groaned and rolled over onto his other side. He stretched his arms out only to notice something very important. Snapping his eyes open, he realized that his fiancee was no longer next to him or in his arms for that matter. He sat up quickly and scanned the room for her presence, but she was nowhere. Throwing the covers to the side, he nearly ran out into the living room only to see that she wasn't there either. It wasn't until he entered the kitchen that he had a clue as to where she had gone.

On the table, there was a single piece of paper with her familiar writing on it. Skimming through the contents, he was able to ascertain that she had already left for her appointment. His jaw clenched and his hand fisted around the paper making it crumple in his palm. "Damn it, Hinata..." he muttered and sped into the living room grabbing his coat before dashing out the door toward the hospital.

* * *

Neji stepped out of his bathroom after taking a shower, and was in the process of drying his hair. After getting dressed, he walked out into his living room, and checked the clock. With a light smirk, he made his way to the kitchen. _After I eat something, I'll go see how my dear little cousin is doing. It's been awhile since I've last seen her—I wonder if her stomach has gotten any bigger... _He reached for a few pieces of bread and slid them into the toaster before walking toward the fridge. Neji pulled out some jam, and placed the container on the counter while waiting for his toast to be finished. _I wonder... _He traced his fingers around his eyes. _Maybe Hinata will let me use the byakugan to check up on the kid. There's no doubt I'd be able to see it, but I'm curious as to how much I can see of it. _

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud banging on his front door. He quickly activated his bloodline limit and checked to see that it was actually the famous future hokage. "Naruto? What's he doing here?" _And he looks a little uneasy about something. _Taking a quick glance to his toast that still wasn't done, he walked lithely toward the door and opened it in one swift movement. Naruto's face brightened considerably. "Hey Neji! You're here! I was beginning to think you hadn't gotten back from your mission yet."

Neji stepped backwards to let the loudmouth enter his home. "I just got back a few hours ago, actually." he closed the door and headed back toward the kitchen with Naruto on his heels.

"Oh, that's good..." Naruto pursed his lips and furrowed his brows in deep thought. "So, uh...how'd your mission go?"

Neji removed his toast and began putting jam on it when he heard Naruto's question. Neji raised a brow. "Is something wrong, Naruto?" he turned around with his toast in hand and sat down at the table.

Naruto was still standing and being quite fidgety too. "W-What do you mean, Neji?" he laughed nervously. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Because..." Neji answered with his eyes hardening. "You never ask how anyone else's missions went, and only tell others how _your's _went."

Naruto's nervous laughter died off and he slumped into the chair opposite his Hyuga friend. "Yeah..." he chuckled humorlessly. "Can't get anything passed you, Neji."

Neji would've smirked, but there was definitely something bothering the hyperactive blonde. Ignoring his toast for a moment, he narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "What is it, Naruto? You seem...depressed."

Instead of responding right away, Naruto just did a half-nod and folded his arms on the table surface. "Yeah...no doubt about that..."

"So, what is it? Marriage issues?" Inwardly, Neji was praying that marriage wasn't the reason. The last thing he wanted to do was try to give Naruto matrimonial advice.

Naruto stared blankly at Neji before giving off a more genuine laugh. "No...Sakura-chan and I are doing great!" his smile faded quickly and his solemn expression returned. "But...what's making me depressed...has nothing to do with me and Sakura-chan."

"Oh no?" Neji asked finally taking a bite of his much anticipated toast.

Naruto shook his head and gazed at a random corner in the room. "I wanted to come talk to you because, well...I kind of figured you wouldn't know since you were gone and all, but...I also think that Hinata-chan probably would've had a hard time telling you." he glanced back to Neji seeing him resemble a stone-cold statue. His shoulders were tense and his skeptical eyes focused solely on Naruto. Seeing that Neji wasn't going to say anything, Naruto hesitantly continued. "I don't think even Sasuke would be able to tell you very easily. I mean...Sakura-chan had a hard enough time telling me about it, so...I can't imagine how difficult it would be for them..."

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Neji interrupted his rambling. His whole face had now hardened into a glare. "Did something happen to them? Is Hinata alright?"

"Uh..." Naruto's hand scratched the back of his head in another one of his nervous mannerisms. "She's not..._physically _hurt, if that's what you mean..."

Neji would've sighed in relief had he not caught onto Naruto's poor attempt at subtlety. Instead, his eyes narrowed into slits and his hands fisted unconsciously. "Explain. And don't you dare leave anything out, Naruto."

* * *

Hinata was laying down on the hospital bed staring out the window when Tsunade walked back into the room. She was holding a clipboard in her hand, and her narrowed eyes never strayed from it even as she closed the door behind her. "I know it wasn't a long break, but are you feeling up for one more test?" Tsunade asked sincerely noticing how worn out Hinata looked. 

With a wavering smile, Hinata nodded. "I'm okay, Tsunade-sama." her eyes drifted to the clipboard as she watched her hokage take a seat next to her bed. "Are those...?"

Tsunade nodded gravely. "The results from the recent tests."

Hinata bit down on her lip as she waited.

With a heavy sigh, the fifth hokage stared sympathetically at one of her favorite medical ninja. "I'm afraid it's the same results as the ones we had before. It's seemingly impossible to detect any form of life in your womb. With these tests, we go in searching for an extra amount of chakra build-up. This is usually generated from the child. You should know this procedure, Hina-chan..." At seeing her nod, Tsunade continued. "We check for a heartbeat first, and then for another chakra signature. If we can't find either..."

"There's no life there..." Hinata answered using all resistance to keep her tears at bay.

"Right..." Tsunade exhaled and tried her best to put on an encouraging smile. "But, I'm not giving up on you or your baby, Hina-chan. This last test I'm going to do is a more thorough one. It's something I usually only use on the battle fields, where I need to check if there is any life left in some of the attacked ninjas." she stood up so she was closer to Hinata's stomach, and hovered her hands over it. "This might cause you a little discomfort, but it's not painful. I'm basically just going to probe for any sign of life in your womb. Unlike the other tests, this one is more reliable. It's like it has sonic hearing. It allows me to be able to hear even the slightest of sounds. Are you ready?"

Hinata nodded and tightened her grip on the sheets beside her. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Immediately, Tsunade performed a few hand signs, and when she stopped her hands were glowing. Slowly, Tsunade lowered her hands until they were touching Hinata's stomach. With every ounce of concentration, Tsunade moved her hands around in a searching motion. Hinata wasn't able to see, but through her glowing hands, Tsunade could hear everything in Hinata's stomach as if she were connected to a radio within Hinata's womb. She could hear Hinata's heartbeat at a distance, and the sloshing sound of the liquids moving about in her body. But, she was paying all of that no mind. She had to find the child's heartbeat.

The strange discomfort Hinata was feeling wasn't painful at all. It was, however, very odd. She felt pressure wherever Tsunade's hands moved almost as if she was pushing down on her stomach even though she clearly wasn't. Ignoring the strange feeling, Hinata instead focused on Tsunade's facial expression. She was watching earnestly for any sign that she found something...and any sign that she couldn't. As for right then, the fifth was only expressing a look of pure engrossment.

* * *

Sasuke ran up to the hospital's front desk and stared at the secretary with intimidation. "What room is Hinata Hyuga in?" 

The secretary tilted her head slightly. "Oh, Hinata-san?"

"Yes," he seethed. "Hinata...my fiancee...where is she?"

"Oh, well, let's see..." she shuffled through a few papers on her desk and didn't notice the impatience just leaking out of the Uchiha in front of her. "Hmm...Oh, Hinata-san came in for a check-up this afternoon. Oh dear..." her eyes grew wide with anticipation. "I can't wait to see how cute Hinata-san will be in her last few months. Her belly will be big, and she'll be wearing those cute outfits! She's so adorable already!" her hand curled under her chin in admiration. "Oh, I hope she comes to visit often. Hinata-san is so cute!"

Sasuke growled and slammed his fist down on the counter to get her attention. In fact, it made her jump in fright. "I'll only ask this once more, and you better tell me this time." he leaned forward and absently activated his sharingan. "Where...is...my...fiancee?"

The woman's lip trembled and she frantically scanned through the papers until she found the right one. "U-Uh...s-she...H-Hinata-san is i-in...r-r-room 307...top l-level..." By the time she looked up, the frightening man had disappeared. She let out a long breath of relief. "Hinata-san is a miracle worker...Sasuke-kun is hot, but boy does he have a temper. How she can deal with him is a wonder all in it's own."

* * *

The searching continued with Tsunade's glowing hands moving slowly over Hinata's stomach. Nothing much had changed with Tsunade's expression leading Hinata to end up looking out the window instead. As she gazed out at the sky, that was slowly beginning to fade into evening, she wondered if Sasuke had gotten up yet. Drifting from that thought, she began to think about how she was going to tell him that even with all the tests, there still was no heartbeat found. 

Her eyes stung to release more tears, but she held them back. She just had to remind herself what Sasuke had told her. If it didn't work out this time, they could always keep trying. As comforting as his words were, Hinata couldn't help but feel at a complete loss for losing their unborn child. It's their child...the one they created together. You can't simply forget about something like that and move on. It was especially hard for Hinata, who had already grown very attached to the idea of having their baby. The idea of losing the baby felt like she was losing a part of herself as well. It was almost unbearable.

When Tsunade's hands stopped moving, Hinata drew her attention back to her hokage. This time, Tsunade's facial expression was different. It was still as concentrated as before, but now there was a sense of hope in her eyes. The longer she stayed still, the more Hinata began to feel uneasy. "Tsunade-sama...what is it?" she asked in a whisper that gave away how terrified she was.

That all dissipated when Tsunade met Hinata's eyes with a relieved smile. "I found it, Hina-chan. I can hear it...I can hear the heartbeat."

Hinata's eyes widened and her tears spilled down her cheeks. "The...h-heartbeat? There's a...a heartbeat...?"

Tsunade nodded fervently and smiled wider. "There's a heartbeat..." she laughed. "You're baby is alive, Hina-chan."

Hinata lowered her gaze to her stomach and reached her shaky fingers to stroke where her baby was. Her eyes closed only to release more tears. Unlike before, they were now tears of happiness. "Our baby is...our baby is alive..."

"Yes..." Tsunade changed her features into one of determination. "There's a reason we couldn't detect it before though."

At this, Hinata wiped her eyes and stared back at Tsunade.

"It's a very weak heartbeat, and it's also very slow." she placed her hands back to her lap and eventually crossed her arms. "As you already know, the child draws a certain amount of chakra from the mother. This helps it to learn to contain and build up it's own chakra. Meaning, the chakra the baby absorbs from you is basically it's life force during the pregnancy." she paused until she saw Hinata nod, and then continued. "The reason it's heartbeat is abnormally slow is because it hasn't been drawing any chakra from you at all. It's been living on it's own small amount of energy, and thus it's very weak and could die very easily. There is a way to solve this, though, and it will require your help."

Hinata became determined at once and nodded in understanding. "What do I have to do, Tsunade-sama?"

She gave the young Hyuga a brief smile before standing up near her bedside. "You're going to have to transfer your chakra directly into the womb. This will weaken you considerably, but it will help the child to learn how to continue to draw chakra from you." she saw Hinata nod. "Now, place both your hands over your stomach. This is just like healing a patient, so it won't be that hard. Just keep pouring your chakra until I say stop, alright?"

Hinata placed her hands over her stomach as directed, and didn't look anywhere but the location of her child. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Go ahead. I'll be right here." she assured her and watched as Hinata's hands began to glow signaling that she began the transfer.

Hinata could feel her chakra leaving her own body and transferring into her baby's, and despite the weakening, she felt happy. Her baby was alive...Nothing could bring her more happiness than the knowledge that she indeed had life inside of her.

A good ten minutes passed before Tsunade's hand touched Hinata's arm telling her to stop. By the time Hinata let her hands slide down to her sides, she laid back and was breathing quite heavily. Tsunade wasn't kidding...she really did feel completely weak now. Not like it mattered though. The smile on her face hadn't left, and it was all because of the recent news.

Tsunade rested her hand on Hinata's stomach to once again listen for any signs of the heartbeat. When she heard the healthy thumping, she smiled and sat back down. "Your baby is alive and well, Hina-chan. If there's one thing I'm sure of...it's that your child is very strong. I'm amazed that it was able to survive these past couple months without drawing any chakra from you. I can't wait to see how strong all of your children will turn out."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Hinata smiled genuinely and placed her hands over her stomach protectively.

The fifth hokage stood up and walked toward the door. "I'll get out so you can change." she reached for the handle only for the door to swing open nearly hitting her.

"Hinata!" Sasuke called only to halt when he was face-to-face with Tsunade.

She smiled in welcome. "Hello there, Sasuke. You're a little late. The check-up is already over." she glanced back to Hinata and stepped passed Sasuke out into the hall. Sasuke was still looking at her strangely. "Well, I'll just leave you two alone. I got other people to tend to, you know." With that, Tsunade closed the door and Sasuke and Hinata were alone.

Sasuke slowly turned toward Hinata, who was laying down comfortably on the bed with a soft content smile gracing her lips. "Sasuke..."

"Hinata," He nearly ran to her bedside with an almost angry look on his face. "Why did you go off without me?"

"I-I'm sorry, Sasuke...I just...I didn't want both of us to have to...go through with hearing _that _again."

He clasped onto her jaw forcing her to look directly at him. "Damn it, Hinata. How many times do I have to say this? As stupid as this sounds, we're in this together, so stop running off by yourself just because you don't want anyone else to be in pain. That's just annoying." he let go of her chin and sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke...but..." she reached her hand toward his face until she was caressing his cheek. "It doesn't matter anymore..."

He raised a skeptical brow. "What are you talking about? Of course it matters—"

Hinata shook her head and grasped onto his face lowering it until his ear was resting against her stomach. "Please just listen..." she whispered.

At first, he was caught off guard by her movements. He was confused as hell until he had heard something. It was a soft thumping...that sounded a lot like a heartbeat. But...it didn't belong to Hinata. His eyes widened and his mouth opened. His eyes strayed to meet Hinata's, and her smile made sense now. "Hinata..." his eyes were boring into hers with such intensity that neither could look away.

She just smiled wider and nodded to his silent question.

A low exhale emitted from Sasuke at the same time he placed both his hands over her stomach. "But...I thought..."

"Yes...the heartbeat was really faint, so it wasn't able to be detected normally." she answered and giggled. "It's a long story, but...everything is fine now...Our baby is all right."

Sasuke closed his eyes in contentment to match the smile that was now tugging at his lips. With that smile never leaving his face, he leaned back and began to stand up. "I'll have you tell me all the details later, but..." he held his hand out to her. "Let's go home first."

Hinata returned the smile warmly, and accepted his hand. "Yes...All three of us."

* * *

**Man, I was still going to keep going on this, but I thought it would be better to end it here, and save the rest for the next chapter. This is also a bit longer than my average chapters, and it's all because of you guys! You all are awesome! Thank you so much! Please Review!**


	8. Surprise

**Author Note: **Thank you for all the reviews. And just to let you all know, my updates can only come out on the weekends now. I literally have no time to write during the week with all my classes and homework. Sorry for the inconvenience! Enjoy this chapter!

_**Warning: This chapter contains mild use of profanity as well as brief sexual themes. No lemon!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**

* * *

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**Surprise**

"So, you transferred your chakra to the baby?" Sasuke asked opening the door to their home. He let Hinata walk in first before he followed and closed the door.

"Yes," Hinata hung her coat up as well as Sasuke's before they both just stood in front of each other. "The baby apparently wasn't drawing chakra from me at all. So…all I had to do was teach it how to draw chakra from me from now on."

Sasuke nodded in understanding.

With a giggle, Hinata smiled warmly. "I told you it was a long story."

"Yeah…" he sighed. "It took the whole walk here for you to explain it to me."

She giggled again and stood up on her tiptoes to deliver a short kiss to his nose.

He smirked at her playfulness, and couldn't help but relish in the sight of her being so vibrantly happy. It was almost shocking to think that in the past few days, she was so depressed she rarely got out of bed. Now, she looked as though all was right in the world, and she had never been happier. Sasuke couldn't blame her; he felt the same way. With that ending thought, he quickly picked her up in his arms and began to walk towards the couch. Hinata instantly wrapped her arms around his neck in order to hold on, but that didn't matter when she was placed gently on her back onto the couch.

As her body sunk into the cushions, Sasuke moved on top of her making sure that he wasn't forcing his weight on her. There was no talking as Hinata just lay there smiling contently up at her fiancée. In return, Sasuke gave her a small smile before claiming her lips with his own.

* * *

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she and Naruto ran close behind Neji. Behind them were the rest of the rookie nine, as well as Neji's teammates. "What did you do?" 

With a nervous laugh, Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I just told him what you told me, Sakura-chan."

Sakura sighed heavily and glanced at the quick-moving Hyuga in front of them.

Naruto tried to defend himself. "I didn't know he'd react like that, I swear!"

"What did you think he'd do?" the pink-haired pregnant woman retorted. "Shrug it off?!"

"Well, no…but…"

Tenten and Lee caught up to the two and ran beside them.

Naruto turned to them. "He's not normally like this, is he?"

Tenten shook her head. "He's usually so well composed."

"Ah, but Tenten-chan," Lee contradicted. "You forget who is involved. Hinata-chan is one of Neji's important people. She is probably the most important!"

"Yeah…" the weapons mistress sighed. "Which also explains why his current behavior isn't _that_ surprising."

Shikamaru ran next to Kiba and Shino, who seemed very serious. "Man…" the lazy genius complained. "The Uchiha sure isn't going to welcome us warmly."

"Like that matters!" Kiba spat furrowing his brow in anger and worry. Even Shino's brow was etched with the same worry. "Hina-chan is our friend, and she probably needs us right now!"

Shino decided to enter the conversation. "I am surprised that we weren't one of the first ones notified of this situation."

"No kidding." Kiba bit back a growl. "We're closer to her than Shikamaru's team or any of the others besides Sasuke and Neji. How did the gossip queens find out before us?"

"Oh man…" Choji muttered as he ran next to Ino. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"What are you so worried about? We're just going to go see how Hina-chan is doing." Ino reasoned.

"It's not Hinata-san I'm worried about exactly…behavioral wise anyway. You know Sasuke is going to be there, and he won't exactly be happy to see us invading their privacy."

Ino snorted. "Who cares what Sasuke-kun thinks? He can't keep her all to himself forever. She's our friend!"

"Yeah, but she's also his soon-to-be wife. He outranks us."

"Ah, just shut it, Choji. Sasuke-kun will just have to get over the fact that we're going to be concerned about Hina-chan. I swear…he can be so selfish sometimes!"

* * *

With a flick of the wrist, Sasuke's shirt was discarded to the ground. As he claimed her lips once again, his hands got to work with unbuttoning her blouse. Hinata's hands stroked over his bare shoulders until her fingers were entwined in his dark hair. Her nails scraped gently against his scalp before moving back down until she was caressing his chest. A low growl emitted from deep in his throat at the feel of her soft touches. In a moment of haste, he removed her blouse throwing it behind the couch with the mindset to remember to pick it up later…when they were done. 

He broke their kiss and leaned on his elbows to gaze down at his future wife's body—well, upper half anyway. She was still clad in her bra, but he knew that it would be gone shortly. With a soft smirk, he bent down to graze his nose over her neck. Hearing his inhale, Hinata knew he was breathing in her scent again. This could only bring a smile onto her face.

Sasuke lowered his head further until he was brushing his lips over her collarbone. "Hinata…I've missed you."

Hinata giggled. "What are you talking about, Sasuke? I've been with you all this time."

The corners of his mouth shifted upward in amusement. "Yes…but not like this. For awhile there…I thought I'd lost you." He met her eyes in all seriousness. "You were there, and yet…you were gone too. You were…" he paused searching for the right words to explain what he had to see for the past few weeks. "You were not the Hinata I know, or the one I happen to love. It was like you were…"

"A ghost?" she offered with a half-smile just emanating her inner sadness.

"Yeah…"

Hinata let out a slow exhale and caressed his face with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry…I just…I didn't know how to…deal with it all." She resisted the temptation to tear up at the remembrance. "I felt so empty."

Sasuke's onyx eyes gazed intensely into her pure white orbs so opposite his own. Forcing a calm expression on his face, he moved until his head was resting against her naked stomach. "It doesn't matter anymore…It's fine now…" he began trailing kisses all around her stomach before directing that trail up to her welcoming lips. Their lips touched and rested there for a good few minutes. As their lips connected, his hands moved behind her in order to unfasten her bra.

As he was slowly removing her bra, he decided it was time to deepen their soft and gentle kiss. He licked her bottom lip seeking entrance, which she gladly gave him. Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer against her. As their tongues mingled in a passionate kiss, he tossed her bra to the side. "Mine…" he murmured against her lips just before a few loud shouts coming from outside interrupted them. Both their heads snapped to their front door, where the sounds were originating.

First, their eyes noticed the unlocked door, and second, they realized that the doorknob was beginning to turn. Their eyes widened and they sat up in a frenzy. Hinata's arms wrapped around her chest, and Sasuke scanned around him. Grasping onto the quilt, which was laying on top of the couch, he threw it around his half-naked fiancée just before the door burst open.

Neji practically ran through with the rest of the group hot on his heels. "Hinata!" he yelled as if searching the room frantically. It didn't take long before his gaze landed on the couple sitting on the couch. Both their gazes met with his. Neji stared blankly for a moment, Sasuke was scowling, and Hinata was in a shocked embarrassment. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal if Neji hadn't seen Sasuke's discarded shirt and Hinata's bra lying carelessly on the floor just before them. As to the whereabouts of her shirt, he didn't know. Luckily, Hinata was at least covering herself up with a quilt. Either way, Neji felt the familiar feeling of anger course through his body. "Uchiha! Have you no decency? You dare to defile my cousin on the couch!"

Sasuke schooled his features into stoicism. "We would've moved back to the bedroom eventually."

Neji growled and clenched his fists. "That's not the point!"

The rest of the group entered the house surrounding the couple. Naruto was the first to speak. "Wow," he laughed. "That's twice now that I've interrupted you two doing the nasty!"

"Naruto!" Sakura slapped him across the head.

Ino was giggling to herself while clinging onto Choji for support. "Well…they're sure in high spirits!"

Choji chuckled. "You're telling me."

Lee pumped his fist into the air. "Ah! Never before have I seen those two in such a bursting flame of youth!"

"For God's sake, Lee!" Tenten delivered a bunch to his jaw. "That's the last thing they probably want to hear right now!"

Kiba stared solely at Hinata. "Hinata-chan!"

Hinata lowered her reddened gaze in utter embarrassment.

"This is…I…how…oh man…what?" Kiba stumbled in his incredulity.

"I believe what our teammate is trying to say is," Shino interrupted furrowing his brow slightly. "This is most surprising for us to see you in such a…manner."

With every word that escaped the group's mouths, Sasuke was inwardly fuming. He stood up stiffly, squared his shoulders, and seethed through gritted teeth. "Get. The. Fuck. Out of my house!" he shouted in his rage silencing the group.

Shikamaru sighed quietly from his position next to Choji. "I told you he'd be angry."

"Yeah," Choji agreed. "You called it."

Naruto, being used to his friend's short temper, was the first to recover from the outburst. "Hey, for your information, we just came to see how Hinata-chan is! We were all really worried!"

Without looking back to Hinata, Sasuke motioned back to her while keeping his now sharingan-activated eyes steady on the intruding group. "Does she look like she needs your concern?"

"Actually," Sakura stepped forward ignoring Sasuke. "I don't think I've seen her that red before. Hina-chan, you okay?"

Hearing that, Sasuke swiveled around to face the blushing female. And it was true; Hinata's face was burning. Who could blame her? This was worse than when Naruto had walked in on her when she was only in her undergarments. Now, she was hiding her naked upper half in a quilt, Sasuke's shirt joined her bra on the floor, and it was all made obvious as to what they were going to do. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, the entire rookie nine, as well as her cousin's team, was standing there staring at them with knowing looks. She had to admit to herself that she was greatly surprised that she hadn't passed out yet. Although, judging by her quick and heavy breathing, perhaps the fainting was going to come soon enough.

Noticing her panicking condition, Sasuke raced to her side with one hand on her stomach and the other cradling her face. "Hinata…" he murmured lowly. "It's alright. Calm down. You have to slow down your breathing or else you're going to pass out."

Hinata listened to his comforting words, and after gulping, she noticed that her eyes were fading in and out of darkness. "S-Sasuke…I…" The darkness clouded her vision, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She had officially passed out in Sasuke's waiting arms. He sighed in aggravation while laying her gently back onto the couch. "Damn it." He stood up and glared at the group with ferocity. "Do you see what you all did?" his tone was icy, and he was having a hard time trying to control his anger. "It's bad enough she's had to go through hell these past few weeks, and you all just had to come here and make it harder."

They all either looked at the ground or various parts of the room in shame. Neji walked closer to Hinata and knelt down next to her. He looked the most regrettable.

Sasuke continued. "This is ridiculous. Why are you here anyway?"

Naruto spoke up again trying to defend their reasoning. "We only came to check up on Hinata to see if she was okay!"

"Lower your voice, Naruto." Sakura hissed.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Why would you do that? We didn't go barging into your home just to check up on Sakura's pregnancy, now did we?"

"No, but…" Naruto stopped and the rest of them faced Sasuke with equal confusion lighting up their features. "Wait a minute…" he glanced to Sakura looking for an answer.

Sasuke interrupted their confused looks by glaring at Sakura and Ino. "You two are medical ninjas. Shouldn't you have known that something like this would only stress out someone as pregnant as Hinata? Didn't that occur to you in the least?"

"Hold on!" Sakura interrupted him with her palms facing toward him in a motion to halt his rage. "Did you just say Hina-chan's pregnant?"

"Not directly, no, but didn't you already know that?" Sasuke quirked a brow knowing it was common knowledge now. But their confused looks made him wonder just what exactly was going on.

"Well, yeah, but…" Ino stepped forward. "Didn't Hina-chan have a miscarriage?"

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction in realization. In response, he snorted. "News sure travels around fast."

Neji stood up drawing Sasuke's attention to him. "It's true, isn't it? We all heard the news from Tsunade-sama."

Sasuke sighed while massaging his temples. He sat down on the part of the couch nearest Hinata. "It was true until this morning."

Naruto's typical smile slowly began to return. "You mean she's really pregnant?"

"Yeah…" the avenger replied and gazed down at Hinata, who was peacefully sleeping. One corner of his mouth elicited a slight upturn. "The hokage was able to detect an actual heartbeat. Hinata said it was very weak and faint at first, so it went unnoticed. Apparently, the baby wasn't drawing chakra from Hinata at all, so she ended up having to transfer her chakra to the baby in order for it to learn how to continue to draw chakra from her from now on."

Ino and Sakura exchanged another confused glance. The pink-haired woman faced Sasuke again. "That's odd. How on earth was the child able to survive this long without getting any chakra from Hinata? Is that even possible? No unborn child can live that long on it's own small amount of chakra. It's just…"

"Impossible." Ino finished.

Sasuke regarded them with indifference. "That seemed to baffle the hokage and Hinata as well. It's something they've never heard or seen before." He sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "Not like it matters too much anymore. The baby is fine now with a healthy heartbeat…I can hear it perfectly…" he whispered the last part attempting to keep his thrilled emotions at bay in front of the others.

Neji gazed down at his younger cousin once again, except with affection this time. "She's alright now, then?"

"Yeah, her and the baby."

Neji nodded. "Good. Then I'm sure you won't mind if I take a look? Perhaps I can tell you the sex of the baby."

Sasuke raised a brow in slight suspicion before catching onto what Neji was implying. Sasuke merely nodded once allowing Neji to proceed.

Neji activated his byakugan and focused in on Hinata's womb.

Meanwhile, Naruto approached Sasuke giving him a slap on the back. "Alright, Sasuke! Way to go! You're going to be a dad after all!"

Sakura slapped his head once again in irritation. "You idiot. What did I say about lowering your voice?"

"Aww…geez, Sakura-chan. That hurts…Are all pregnant women this moody?"

"Naruto, I swear…" Sakura glared at him. "I'll make this pregnancy hell for you if you don't cut it out right now."

He waved his hands in front of his face defensively while laughing fearfully. "Sorry, sorry…I'll shut up now."

Sakura seemed pacified and turned to talk to Ino and Tenten instead.

When she was out of earshot, Naruto faced Sasuke only to see his best friend smirking smugly. Naruto grunted. "Lucky bastard. I bet Hinata-chan's mood swings will be a cake walk compared to Sakura-chan's."

Sasuke chuckled and reached down to retrieve his shirt in order to put on. While doing so, he picked up Hinata's shirt and bra and ran them back into his room.

Neji's eyebrows rose in surprise, but his byakugan didn't deactivate yet. _I merely wanted to see the baby, but…I wasn't expecting this. _He stood up with the veins around his eyes disappearing, but his gaze didn't stray from the sleeping Hinata. Only when Sasuke entered back into the room did his eyes leave Hinata's figure.

As Sasuke was walking back toward the couch, where his resting Hinata lay, his eyes met Neji's. Neji was looking at him with an almost unreadable expression. However, the one emotion Sasuke did manage to see was his shock and surprise. With a raised brow, Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "What?"

Neji opened his mouth to speak, but he paused when seeing Hinata's eyes flutter open. Her hand moved to her head and rubbed her temples. Sasuke and Neji practically ran to her side. Sasuke helped her sit up while securing the quilt around her as well. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Hinata nodded and leaned back against the couch. "I'm okay…" She opened her eyes fully and the first sight that greeted her was her very worried fiancée and cousin. Just behind them stood the rest of their friends watching her with the same concerned expressions. "Um…h-hello everyone."

Some waved, and others greeted her enthusiastically.

"Um…" Hinata tilted her head to the side slightly in curiosity. "If I may ask, um…what are you all doing here?"

Sasuke sat next to her and stretched his arm over the backside of the couch. "Apparently, word got around about the past hellish few weeks."

She faced him with her brows knotted together.

He gave her a soft smirk. "Don't worry about it. I told them the news from this morning. Now it's as if they never butted into our lives in the first place."

Naruto pouted. "That's not true! We're your friends, so it's our responsibility to watch out for you guys."

"Watching out is fine, idiot. It's the meddling I'm referring to."

"We were _not _meddling, you bastard!"

"Oh really?" Sasuke challenged giving his best friend a stone cold glare. "Then what do you call barging into people's houses without even knocking?"

"Hey, that was Neji who barged in, not us!"

While the two were arguing, Neji knelt next to Hinata's other side and placed his hand over hers. Hinata glanced at him and smiled warmly. "Neji-kun…"

"I apologize for overreacting and intruding. I should've known that anything coming from Naruto's mouth wouldn't exactly be the true story."

Hinata giggled and took a quick glance at Sasuke and Naruto, who were still arguing. Everyone around them was just shaking their heads in shame. She faced Neji again. "It's alright, Neji-kun. I'm sure what Naruto-kun told you was the true story."

He sighed. "It figures. The few times I go on long-term missions, something bad always happens and I'm not there to protect you."

"Neji-kun…" Hinata murmured in sympathy. "This was not one of those times…where protecting would've been necessary. Sasuke was there with me the whole time."

The older Hyuga nodded. "Still…I feel like I failed you."

Hinata smiled comfortingly and embraced her elder cousin. "You could never fail me, Neji-kun."

He smiled softly and embraced her just as firmly. "Thank you, Hinata-chan." When he released her he gazed down at her stomach, and his expression turned stern. His eyes locked with her identical ones.

"What's wrong, Neji-kun?"

"Hinata…" he took a deep breath and held onto her hand again. "I used my byakugan to check up on your child while you were asleep. I figured I could try to find the sex of the baby."

Hinata's eyes brightened in glee. "Did you find out?"

"…Yes…I did." He answered slowly with his eyebrows lowering.

Her smiled widened and she leaned over to her side to tap Sasuke on the shoulder. He stopped yelling at Naruto and turned back to her with an eyebrow raised. "Sasuke, Neji-kun found out what the sex of our baby is!"

His frown softened and he stared at Neji with just as much excitement as Hinata, except his was more inward. "Really?"

Neji nodded and glanced around seeing that the rest of the group quieted down to find out as well. With another deep breath he faced Hinata again. "You're having a boy…"

A smile broke across the couple's faces. Hinata wrapped her arms around Sasuke. "We're having a boy, Sasuke!"

"I know, I know…I heard." He chuckled.

"But…" Neji's voice interrupted them bringing them back to attention. "You're also having a girl."

The entire room was filled with utter silence as the new information gradually sunk in.

"So…" Sasuke muttered.

"We're having…" Hinata spoke up.

"Twins?" Sasuke finished and their wide-eyed expressions mirrored each other.

Neji nodded with a faint smirk on his lips. "It's either that or your kid has two heads and eight limbs."

Hinata let out a small laugh in surprise.

Naruto stepped forward. "Wow! You guys are having twins? That's awesome!"

"I agree," Sakura smiled. "Congratulations, you two!"

"Yahoo!" Kiba hollered. "I'm gonna be an uncle to _two _kids! I'm gonna have a niece and a nephew!"

Shino nodded.

Choji whistled lowly. "Wow…twins."

Shikamaru sighed. "It's only going to be more troublesome."

"You two are now just burning with the power of youth!"

"Lee! Enough! You wanna scare the kids before they're even born?"

Ino and Sakura faced each other. The blonde laughed. "We're so gonna take her shopping for clothes."

"Oh yeah," Sakura agreed. "With twins, she'll be huge."

"Ah, she'll look so cute too!"

Sakura laughed and rubbed her stomach. "Maybe if I have a girl, we can arrange a marriage between our two kids or something."

That's when Sasuke and Naruto broke in with their disagreements. "No way!"

"There's no way in hell I'm going to be related to that idiot!"

"Oh yeah, Sasuke? What makes you think I want my kid to have a father-in-law who's a complete bastard!"

"Better that than passing on the idiot gene!"

Hinata shook her head and sighed. "They're hopeless." She giggled.

Neji chuckled. "They really are. Maybe you and Sakura-san should arrange a marriage between your children just to spite those two."

Hinata giggled louder. "That would be funny."

"So," Neji began. "You don't seem that shocked to find out you're having twins."

"Well," Hinata stopped laughing and reclaimed a calm expression. "I kind of knew that I might…have twins someday. After all, it's hereditary, right?"

"Yes, you had a really good chance of becoming pregnant with twins. It certainly doesn't surprise me much either. But how do you think the Uchiha is taking it?"

Hinata glanced at Sasuke, who was now defending any possibility of their two families joining. "He's happy. I can tell."

"Only you would be able to."

Sakura and Ino exchanged a sly look and faced the two arguing best friends. "Say, billboard-brow…"

"What, Ino-pig?"

They made sure to voice their words loud enough for the two boys to hear. "Maybe you'll have a boy instead."

"Oh! Wouldn't that be great? Then mine and Naruto's son can fall head-over-heels in love with Sasuke and Hina-chan's daughter!"

Both men froze, but it was Sasuke who was giving off a death glare to beat all his past death glares. "What?" he seethed facing the two women.

Not wanting to back down, they both just smiled widely. "Don't you agree, Naruto? Wouldn't our son and their daughter be so cute together?"

Naruto was about to disagree, but one glare from his wife changed that. "U-Uh, sure…Sakura-chan."

The children weren't even born yet, and Sasuke was already gaining that over-protective father feeling. The mere thought that his precious daughter—who'll look exactly like Hinata—might "fall in love" with the spawn of the Konoha prankster just sent a shudder through his body. No beautiful and fragile daughter of his was going to even take one step toward his best friend's son. Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously at Naruto. "You keep your son away from my daughter."

"Geez, Sasuke. Over-protective much?"

Sakura and Hinata smiled at each other with knowing looks. Without having to say a thing, they knew exactly what the other was thinking. After hearing the little dispute between their men, they knew that Sakura just had to have a boy. After all, Hinata's daughter would need a husband sometime in the future. Ah, they couldn't wait to see the looks on their men's faces when they find out just what the two women were planning.

* * *

**Okay. Done with that one. Now, that that part is over, it's onto the real stuff. There will be a time-skip next chapter. Remember that I can only get these out on the weekends. So, please review!**


	9. Calm

**Author Note: **Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are truly awesome!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**_Time-Skip: Two months later. The beginning of December._**

* * *

**Calm**

The light breeze blew through Hinata's hair sending shivers up and down her spine. Unconsciously, she hugged her jacket around her body tighter. She was currently sitting down on a bench just outside of a local shop, where Sakura and Ino were still shopping. Hinata had already purchased her clothing choices, and now just waited outside for her two friends to finish. As she sat in the freezing weather, she couldn't help but question herself as to why she didn't just wait inside where it was obviously warmer.

In truth, Hinata loved being outside in December. On the second day of the current month, snow was already beginning to powder the ground, but not heavily. She suspected that the heavy snowfall wouldn't come until around the middle of the month…when her wedding was. Hinata giggled at her last thought, and continued to smile in excitement at the much-awaited day. She had told Sasuke that she wanted her wedding to take place in December, and he obliged without a second thought. The only other real planning they did was picking a specific date. December 14th—a mere thirteen days before her 20th birthday. To put it simply, the last month of the year had become Hinata's favorite month of all.

When Sasuke and Hinata were deciding which month to wed in, Hinata told him that December would be the last month before she started showing noticeable pregnancy signs—such as her stomach growing outward with a new roundness to it. Then again, that was a couple months ago and before they found out that she was having twins.

With that same content smile on her face, Hinata gazed down at her stomach, where her hands were shielding it protectively. And just below her hands was her little bulge, which remained unnoticed when wearing her usual bulky clothing. Somehow having twins made the growth a little faster. In that case, Hinata knew that her wedding dress would fit just a little more snug than she would've liked. No matter. The wedding wasn't for appearances—it was for the mere purpose of Sasuke and Hinata finally being tied together as soul mates or just husband and wife as some non-sensitive people referred to it as. Personally, Hinata liked the soul mate idea better.

"Geez, Hina-chan," Ino's voice broke into Hinata's reverie. "Aren't you freezing your ass off by now?"

Hinata turned toward the voice and saw her two friends standing just to the side of her with bags slung on their arms as if they were hooks. She smiled in greeting. "I'm alright. Are you two done already?"

"Already?" Sakura repeated with her brows raised. "We've been shopping for hours! My feet are so sore now." Sakura collapsed next to Hinata on the bench and leaned back to give her larger belly more room to stretch. "I think I'll make Naruto give me a foot rub when I get back home."

Hinata giggled while she envisioned her blonde friend giving a foot rub to his dominating wife.

"Well?" Ino asked with her fists on her hips. "Come on, I'm hungry! Let's go to a café or something. Doesn't hot coffee sound so inviting right now?"

With that thought in mind of having something to warm their frozen fingers, Sakura and Hinata shared a sigh of anticipation. Oh yes, a warm beverage did sound extremely inviting. However, the beverage being coffee didn't seem to perk their cravings too much.

* * *

Sasuke glanced analytically between two bags he held in his hands. He'd stare at one bag as if memorizing every single detail before staring at the other bag for the same reason. Truthfully, he was having an internal debate, and the final decision would be very crucial. If only he could just remember what kind Hinata wanted. A low growl emitted from him as he began to scowl at the offending items. _Damn it! Which one did she want? Milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Or…maybe white? Ah damn it! Of all the times to not remember!_

"Excuse me sir, do you need help with anything?" A young female employee approached him from the side with a clear wary expression.

Sasuke turned to her with that same deadly scowl on his face, except he showed more irritation now. "Does it look like I need your help?" he snapped.

She flinched and turned to stare at the bags of chocolate instead. "Uh…well, from what I've been watching, you've been standing here for the past twenty minutes just…staring at the chocolate."

"Is there a problem with that?" he retorted.

"Well, no, but…" she gulped fearfully. "I-I just thought that maybe I could help you with—"

"Look," he interrupted venomously. "Unless you somehow miraculously know exactly what kind of chocolate my pregnant fiancée is craving, then yes, you could help. But somehow, that doesn't seem to be the case, now does it?"

"I-I…"

An elderly man, who looked like the store manager, came in-between the two with a small smile on his face. "Is there a problem here?"

The young woman gazed fearfully at the man as if warning him about the crazed lunatic holding the chocolate bags.

Sasuke merely directed his scowl towards the newcomer. "No."

The old man faced the employee with a smile. "Why don't you go look for anyone else who might need help, hm?"

She nodded fervently and nearly ran away from the two.

Once she was gone, the older man faced Sasuke with a sympathetic expression. "So, from what I heard, your fiancée is pregnant?"

"Yes." Sasuke ground out in frustration.

The man nodded. "I see." He chuckled lightly. "Ah, I remember those days. Pregnant women have the greatest cravings, and when they're not met…the woman simply goes hysterical."

"How can you find that funny?" Sasuke raised a brow.

"You get used to it after so many years, and eventually it just becomes very amusing." He paused. "So…I take it that your pregnant fiancée is craving chocolate."

Sasuke nodded wondering what this man could possibly do to help him.

"Well, take it from me. I suggest you just buy all three kinds…and a lot of it." He patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Trust me, you'll be safer that way."

"Uh…" Sasuke inwardly grimaced at what a hysterical Hinata would look like. "Err…thanks."

"Of course." The man smiled. "Oh, and another piece of advice. During the pregnancy, remember one key detail…She is always right."

Sasuke tilted his head in confusion. "Well, what if she isn't right at all?"

"That doesn't matter. If you want to survive, she…is…always…right."

"Uh, okay. Thanks again."

"No problem." He laughed quietly. "Good luck with your shopping." With that, the elderly man left Sasuke alone.

Sasuke's eyes drifted back to the chocolate, and quickly grabbed at least five bags of each type of chocolate there was.

While Sasuke was waiting in line to purchase his merchandise (AKA: Chocolate), he didn't seem to notice someone approaching behind him.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

The sharingan-user instantly cringed when he recognized the voice. Turning to look behind him, he spotted Naruto there. "Naruto." He greeted simply.

Naruto laughed and noticed the multiple bags of chocolate in Sasuke's arms. "Wow, Sasuke. I didn't know you had such a sweet tooth."

"I don't." he hissed. "They're for Hinata."

"Huh? Oh…" he laughed again. "So, she's the type who craves chocolate huh?"

Sasuke just stared at him with a bored expression until he noticed the multiple bags of strawberries that Naruto was carrying. "Are those all for you?"

"Wha—oh these? Nah. Sakura-chan has had huge cravings for fruits lately. Today's pick seems to be strawberries."

"Fascinating…" he muttered sarcastically.

"Man…" Naruto groaned. "She's eating me out of house and home. I've never spent so much money on food before…and that's including ramen!"

"What did you expect, you idiot? She's feeding herself and the baby. Hinata's feeding herself and two babies, so stop complaining."

"Hey! I _can _complain. You and Hinata-chan have your family fortunes to live off of."

Sasuke rolled his eyes while letting out a heavy sigh.

Naruto suddenly perked up with a huge smile on his face. "Oh! Did Sakura-chan tell you?"

"What?" he asked without the least bit of interest in his tone.

"It's official now. We're having a boy. Granny Tsunade told us, and Hinata-chan used her byakugan to confirm it. I can't wait!"

While Naruto rambled on, Sasuke's face slowly formed into a tight glare. He could remember perfectly the conversation that they all had a few months ago. Sakura and Hinata were both saying that if Naruto and Sakura had a boy, then they could arrange a marriage between their children. Just the thought of Sasuke's little girl being in love with Naruto's spawn sent shivers down the Uchiha's spine. Therefore, Sasuke faced Naruto with his glare looking more threatening. Interrupting the blonde mid-sentence, Sasuke seethed. "If your son comes anywhere near my daughter, I'll kill him _and _you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Sasuke. We have got to work on your over-protectiveness. You see, there are certain boundaries to being protective over your child, and I think you've ignored those boundaries since the second you found out you were going to have a girl."

* * *

Once Sasuke entered his empty home, he removed his jacket, kicked off his shoes, and walked sluggishly toward the kitchen. He half-hoped for Hinata to be in there making them dinner, but he knew that she had plans with the other women. From what she told him, they were going clothes shopping. _Ugh…how can she possibly like shopping for hours on end? _The thought simply puzzled him. But, he knew that Hinata wasn't a big time shopper like Sakura and Ino. If he had to guess, the only shopping she did was for the twins; she always hated buying herself clothes in front of the two women who tried to convince her to change her wardrobe. 

After setting the teakettle full of water on the stove to boil, Sasuke dropped the bag of chocolate on the table and collapsed into the nearest chair. He leaned forward placing his elbows on the table surface and immediately began massaging his temples in order to relieve his new headache. Somehow, Naruto always managed to bring about the worst headaches in Sasuke. _I hate shopping, I hate shopping, I hate shopping…_ he repeated over and over in his mind like a mantra. It never ceased to amaze him how every time he went shopping, he could never be left alone in peace. There always had to be someone who knew him with the urge to have a conversation. He assumed that today just wasn't his day if that person just happened to be Naruto. Best friend or not, there was only so much Sasuke could take when dealing with the hyperactive blonde.

Leaning back in his chair, he gazed blankly at the various bags of chocolate laid out on the table. Not being one to take chances, he made sure to buy every kind available and in multiples. The hokage had warned him about the female cravings during pregnancy and the consequences when those cravings aren't met. The most common consequence just happened to be overall moodiness. Sasuke had seen Hinata in a bad mood very rarely, and even then her mood swings were mild compared to all the other women he knew. After hearing all the horror stories from Naruto about Sakura's mood swings, Sasuke wanted to make sure that he'd never have to go through that with Hinata. After all, an angry Hinata was a very unpredictable Hinata.

Sasuke reached for one of the milk chocolate bags and opened it. He took out a piece, unwrapped it, and stared at the delectable candy analytically. _How can she like this stuff? It's impossibly sweet. _He cringed in distaste and experimentally brought it to his lips. He sniffed it once and opened his mouth warily. As quick as possible, he tossed the chocolate into his mouth and chewed rapidly. His expression much resembled what the average person looks like after sucking on a ripe lemon.

He swallowed with difficulty and practically ran to pour himself a cup of tea. _Ugh…way too sweet. You might as well just eat a whole cup of sugar. Disgusting…_He took a few sips of his tea to help remove the unwanted taste of chocolate from his mouth. It wasn't until he was sitting back in his chair that he heard the front door open and close softly. "Sasuke…?" the voice called out meekly.

"In here." The Uchiha called back taking another drink.

Hinata appeared in the archway of the kitchen with a few bags in hand. At seeing his face, she smiled warmly and placed her bags onto the floor. "I'm home."

He nodded shortly. "I can see that." He smirked and stood up from his chair to approach her. When he was standing in front of her, his hand went to cradle her face before his lips descended upon hers. Hinata sighed happily into the kiss making Sasuke smirk wider. He pulled away and brushed a few loose hairs behind her ear. "Welcome home." He murmured and claimed her lips once again.

After awhile, he pulled away to place a kiss on Hinata's slightly bulging stomach. This, of course, made Hinata smile softly at his actions. "Are you hungry?" she asked making him stare eye-level with her.

With his smirk ever present, he brushed his lips over the delicate skin on her neck. "Mmm."

She giggled. "For food?"

"Yes…" he murmured trailing a line of kisses up to her soft lips. "That too."

A small giggle escaped her lips before she removed herself from his needy hold. "What do you feel like?" she saw his smirk widen slyly, so she rephrased her question. "What do you feel like eating?"

Sasuke chuckled. "It doesn't matter. But, speaking of food…" he reached back to the table and handed her the bag.

Hinata stared at him in curiosity before opening the bag to see the various kinds of chocolate inside. Her face beamed immediately. "Chocolate…I've been craving this…"

"I know. You've been saying that for the past few days now. I thought I should assist you with your…cravings."

With a smile and a quick kiss for her future husband, she delved into the bag bringing out a large bar of milk chocolate. "You got so many…" she muttered and bit into the heavenly bar of chocolate.

Sasuke merely shrugged indifferently and didn't bother trying to explain his "small" dilemma at the store. Although, judging by the happiness emanating from his fiancée, he had to remind himself to thank the old man the next time he was forced to go shopping. He just hoped it wouldn't be for awhile, and that the chocolate would at least last for a few weeks. His thoughts were put to an abrupt halt when a small piece of chocolate was offered up to him. Sasuke blinked twice before meeting Hinata's eyes. "What?"

"Would you, um, like some?"

He raised a brow as if she was forgetting something vitally important.

Not a moment later did Hinata's eyes widen in realization. "Oh…I-I'm sorry. I forgot…you don't like sweets."

"Correct." He spoke and grabbed the piece of chocolate from her hand. He held it in front of his face and analyzed it much like he was doing before she arrived. "How can you eat something this sweet? How does it not make you sick?"

With another giggle, Hinata continued to eat more of the chocolate. "I love chocolate."

He smirked softly. "I can tell."

A short moment of comfortable silence passed before Hinata's voice snapped him out of his daze. "Sasuke…! It's melting." She motioned to the piece of candy he still held between his fingers.

His onyx eyes drifted to the object she spoke of, and sure enough his thumb and forefinger were now coated with the dark substance. His nose wrinkled in disgust, but his displeased features were wiped clean when Hinata grasped onto his wrist firmly.

Without taking her hungry eyes off of the piece of melting chocolate in-between his fingers, she wrapped her mouth around the upper part of his fingers and began to lick his fingers clean of the food she so clearly enjoyed.

Feeling her timid tongue glide gracefully over his fingertips, Sasuke's whole body heated into arousal. "Now you've done it." His voice was gruff and husky.

Hinata pulled back and tilted her head in confusion. "Hm?"

Sasuke smiled mischievously and picked her up into his arms fluidly. A low chuckle emitted from his mouth at hearing her yelp in surprise.

"S-Sasuke…What are you d-doing?"

He laughed and began carrying her toward their bedroom. "I thought we already went over this, Hinata." He gently kicked the door open and closed it with his foot afterwards. "I'm hungry."

* * *

_**Somewhere in the Land of Lightning…**_

Itachi reclined against the nearest tree branch while his partner, Kisame, was busy preparing their meal. His eyes closed and the only movement came from the wind blowing through his coal-black hair. As he sat there, his mind drifted back to the recent news he heard from the Akatsuki leader.

_Itachi and Kisame stood in front of their leader waiting to hear about their newest mission. After receiving the basics of their mission, they turned on their heels to leave. _

_The leader's words made Itachi halt his walk. "Itachi…How long has it been since your younger brother tried to kill you?"_

_Itachi turned to face him with absolutely no expression on his face. "It's been a few years since his last pathetic attempt."_

"_I see." It was difficult to tell whether the leader was smirking or not, but his tone of voice sure made it evident. "A few years is quite awhile. Perhaps he's given up on his revenge."_

"_With all do respect, I highly doubt that probability. Sasuke's vengeance has always been his number one priority."_

"_Perhaps you're right. Even so…I have a slight inkling that the reason why he hasn't found you yet could quite simply be that he's been…distracted."_

"_Distracted?"_

"_Yes. Haven't you heard the news, Itachi?"_

_Itachi didn't say anything, but the fact that he hadn't moved indicated that he was waiting for an answer._

_A low chuckle came from the Akatsuki leader before he spoke. "Apparently, your little brother is to be wed soon."_

"_An arranged marriage?"_

"_Not from what I've heard." Now, the smirk was easily noticeable. "I was told that he's become quite smitten with a young Konoha girl."_

Itachi furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. He didn't bother asking where the leader claimed all this knowledge from, but he had no doubt that it must be true. He had heard that his brother returned to Konoha not too long ago, but the fact that he was getting married soon did manage to shock him in the least. It was always assumable that Sasuke was as closed off to the female population as Itachi is. That didn't seem to be the case anymore.

As if that wasn't enough, it didn't please Itachi that his brother was no longer seeking him out as he was so fervently doing before. The leader was right; Sasuke had become distracted. Itachi's blood-red eyes narrowed as he stood up and gazed up into the open sky. "Kisame," he spoke deeply.

The blue-skinned man turned to his partner in acknowledgement.

With his arms crossed over his chest, the Uchiha kept his gaze solely on the sky. "Once our missions have receded, I will be leaving for a short time."

"Where are you going?" Kisame asked with a raised brow.

"To Konoha."

Slightly alarmed, Kisame stood up straight. "You're not going after the Kyuubi brat, are you? Leader said we needed to—"

"The demon vessel is none of my concern right now. I will be visiting my brother…and my new sister-in-law as well."

Kisame chuckled. "Visiting the family, eh?"

Itachi didn't reply, but his expression was a clear impassive frown. _It looks like I'll have to take away your distraction...foolish little brother._

* * *

"How does it fit, Hinata-san?" an attendant asked Hinata, who was trying on her wedding dress at the local wedding shop. "Is it too tight around your stomach?" 

Hinata didn't tear her gaze away from the large mirror in front of her. Her pure white, strapless wedding dress was gorgeous in her eyes. But then again, that had nothing to do with the question she was just asked. Her eyes drifted down to her stomach where she could now see her small bulge. Looking at her from the front, one wouldn't be able to notice, but once you see her from the side, her pregnancy becomes all too visible. Grazing her fingers over her stomach, Hinata smiled warmly to the attendant. "No, it's fine. I-It's a little snug, but…it's not uncomfortable."

The young attendant sighed in relief. "Well, that's good. Would you like me to send in your bridesmaids?"

"Yes, please."

Not a moment later did Hinata turn around and see a small group of women enter into the very large changing room. Hinata had a total of five bridesmaids including her maid of honor Sakura. Unsurprisingly, it was Hanabi who ran into the room first with her fists holding up the bottom of her dress to prevent any tripping. "Hina-chan!" she called and ran over to her only stopping when there was a foot of distance. "Oh wow! You look gorgeous! That dress is awesome!"

"Thank you, Hanabi-chan." Hinata giggled with her finger held up to her lip.

"She's right, you know." Sakura spoke up and the other girls around her nodded in agreement. All the women besides Sakura wore strapless lavender gowns, while Sakura's gown was a darker shade of lavender. As if the color wasn't enough to set Sakura apart from the others, her round belly sure did. She had to get her gown specially made so as to accommodate the extra size.

Ino laughed lightly. "Oh man! Sasuke-kun is going to go nuts when he sees you. He'll probably want to skip the ceremony and go straight to taking off—"

"Shut it, Ino-pig!" Sakura hissed with her hand covering Ino's mouth. They both glanced to the now cherry red Hinata. "Now's not the time to make her pass out."

Tenten sighed and shook her head at the two. With a small smile she looked at Hinata. "You really do look beautiful, Hina-chan."

"Thank you, Tenten-chan."

The last woman there stepped forward and slung an arm around Hinata's shoulders. "I know we don't really know each other all that well, but I'm honored that you asked me to be in your wedding, Hinata-san." Temari said with a soft smirk on her lips. "Then again, it's not like I'd say 'no' or anything." She laughed and embraced Hinata tightly. "I swear—you're so damn cute!"

"Uh…th-thank you Temari-san." Hinata returned the embrace awkwardly. She waited until Temari released her before looking back at the other girls. "Um, h-how do all of your dresses fit?"

They replied with various responses all equaling up to satisfactory.

"Hey, so…" Temari spoke up. "When's the wedding again?"

Hinata smiled widely. "One week from now."

* * *

Sasuke straightened his tie while looking himself over in the mirror. The older man, who was his attendant, stared at the Uchiha warily. "Does it fit alright, Uchiha-san?" 

"It's fine." He replied shortly and turned around to see how the others were doing. Shino and Neji had already gotten measured and were now trying on their tuxes. Kiba and Shikamaru were still being measured, and Naruto, his best man, was complaining about the tux he was wearing.

"I'm telling you—it's too small! I'm not supposed to see my ankles!" he griped to his attendant.

"I'm sorry sir, we'll fix it right away."

Sasuke sighed and put a smirk on his face. "It's not your fault. The idiot just looks shorter than he really is."

Naruto glared at his best friend. "You take that back, bastard! I'm not that short anymore!"

"You're still shorter than the rest of us."

With a growl, Naruto tightened his hands into fists. "That's not the point!"

Sasuke chuckled and faced back towards the mirror.

His attendant glanced at the groom in front of him with speculation. "Hey, he's your best man, right?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Oh, nothing. You two aren't related are you?"

Sasuke scowled at the man. "Do we look related?"

"Well, no, but…" he laughed lightly. "You two sure act like you're brothers or something. I mean, my older brother and I act like that a lot, and I still chose him as my best man for my wedding."

A brief thought of Sasuke's older brother being his best man flashed through his mind. His scowl only deepened with bitterness.

The attendant, unaware of Sasuke's inner reverie, continued. "Yup, it's not uncommon to see so many grooms choosing their brothers as their best man. Sure, they might not get along all the time, but they're brothers! You know what I mean?"

Sasuke's form stiffened before he fixed his patented glare on the other man. "That's enough. I'm done here. Do I pay for this now or later?"

The attendant was slightly taken aback at first, but regained himself quickly. "Uh, you can pay for it now if you want, or any time before the wedding."

"I'll pay for it now along with the rest of the tuxes. Get the bill ready."

"Yes, sir." With that, the attendant took his leave.

Neji approached Sasuke from the side with his tux now on. "What was that about?"

"What do you mean?" he replied monotonously.

"Did he insult you?"

"Does it matter?"

Neji regarded him for a moment before shrugging in nonchalance. When he was sure that he wasn't going to get a response from the Uchiha, he left to go change out of his tux.

Sasuke was left secluded from the others, and only gazed blankly into the mirror before him. _Itachi…_ his eyebrows knotted together in a frown. _It's not over yet, is it? I don't care anymore, but if you interfere with my new family...I'll definitely kill you._

* * *

**Okay, so this chapter may seem kind of pointless, but it's just to give you a forewarning of future chapters. Next chapter will be about the wedding. Hopefully, I'll be able to get that one out quicker than I did with this one. Sorry about the wait! Please review!**


	10. Unity

**Author Note: **Thank you everyone for the reviews! _**I also want to tell you all that I have dates down on my profile for when you can expect the new installment for my stories to be updated. **_Thanks!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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* * *

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**Unity**

"Wow. You look gorgeous, Hina-chan."

"Heh. Ino-pig is right for once."

"Shut it, billboard-brow!"

"I was just agreeing with you!"

"Both of you just shut up!" Hanabi quieted the two bickering girls and redirected her attention to her lightly blushing sister. "I think they're both just trying to say that you look beautiful, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled and blushed more intensely. "Th-Thank you…"

Off in the corner, Temari and Tenten smiled at Hinata letting her know that they completely agreed with the previous statement. In Hinata's eyes, she was not the only beautiful one there. Even though she was the one in the wedding dress, she believed that each of her bridesmaids were equally as breathtaking. They looked like goddesses, and Sakura was breathtaking in a whole other way. She assumed there was something about pregnancy that just enhances a woman's individual beauty, and led her to wonder what she would look like in a few months.

"Oh!" Hanabi jumped slightly in remembrance. "We need to go get lined up—the ceremony is gonna start soon. Hey, Hinata-chan,"

"Hm?"

"Just stay in here and wait for father to come get you, okay?"

"I-I know, Hanabi-chan." Hinata giggled at seeing her sister look somewhat panicked even though it wasn't her wedding in the first place. "Don't worry, it'll be okay."

Hanabi frowned comically. "I know that! I just want it to go perfectly okay? It's not everyday your only sister gets married…" she paused thinking back on Hinata's first failed marriage, which lasted for a whole night, and decided to reword her sentence. "Well…it's not everyday when your only sister gets married to the guy who impregnated her."

"Hanabi-chan!" Hinata scolded her sister, but she knew that it was just Hanabi's way to be so bold.

The other girls gave her reprimanding stares as well, but it didn't work out so well when they began giggling lightly.

"Okay, okay, we're going." Hanabi winked at her sister and pushed the other girls out of the room leaving Hinata alone with the long mirror in front of her.

In the silence of the room, Hinata gazed at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't resist the smile that graced her lips. She had been a bride before, but this time…she was actually overwhelmed with excitement. Before she was forcibly marrying a man who she feared and came to loathe, but this time she was finally marrying someone she loved very deeply.

It was strange to think that a little over half a year ago, she was fantasizing about marrying Naruto, and only a few months less than that she was getting married. But now…now, she was content. There was nothing better than what she was doing right then. Years ago, Sasuke was barely an acquaintance. It was shocking to think that they had fallen in love in such a short amount of time, battled obstacles to stay together, and now it all led down to this. They were finally going to be officially together. He was no longer going to just be her fiancée; he was going to be her husband and she his wife. As if that scenario didn't thrill her enough, the knowledge that they were already expecting children and a soon-to-be family almost did her in.

There was never a moment in her life when she felt such a monumental sense of happiness. There was no competition to her current feelings, and she liked it.

A soft knock on the door brought her out of her reverie, and she turned to watch her father enter the room. Once his eyes landed on his eldest daughter, his eyes widened in astonishment. He had seen his daughter in a wedding gown once before, but this was utterly different. It was as though there was an overpowering aura surrounding his angelic daughter. She was beyond gorgeous. The corners of Hiashi's mouth twitched upwards to match his softened eyes. He held out his arm for her to take with that pleasing small smile still dominating his features. "You look like an angel, my daughter."

Hinata did everything in her power to keep her tears at bay…especially since the wedding hadn't even started yet. But it was so rare for her father to compliment her that every time he did, she wanted to release tears of joy. "Thank you, father."

"Shall we?"

Hinata nodded and looped her arm with his allowing him to lead her outside and into a small carriage, which would take them to the part of the forest where the ceremony was being held. Not many of her family and friends knew about the place, but it was quite memorable for her and Sasuke. After all, the clearing that overlooked a large lake was the very place Sasuke proposed to Hinata. So many other memories were made there as well, so there was no surprise when they both agreed that it would be the perfect place to hold their wedding.

* * *

Everyone had taken their seats, Shizune was at the piano, and Tsunade stood at the front waiting for the others to enter.

The group of bridesmaids, groomsmen, and Sasuke stood just outside the clearing getting ready to enter. Once they heard the music begin to play, they knew it was their cue to get going. Shikamaru and Temari were the first ones to enter arm-in-arm. Shino and Tenten followed shortly after, and Kiba and Ino went after them…but not without complaining about whom they had to be paired up with. Neji and Hanabi began to walk down the aisle staying as quiet as most Hyugas are, with the exception of the inward joy they both felt about Hinata's happiness. Naruto escorted his pregnant wife Sakura down the aisle making sure to go at a pace she chose.

Once they were at their positions up front, Sasuke took his walk down the aisle. As he walked, he kept his gaze straightforward with a stature expressing a cold arrogance. Soon-to-be married man or not, he was still Sasuke.

As soon as he reached the front nearest Tsunade, he stood next to Naruto, his best man, and awaited anxiously for the person he was to marry. If only she'd get there sooner.

"Would you calm down?" Naruto whispered teasingly. "I know you're excited, but geez…you're makin' it way too obvious."

"Shut it, idiot." Sasuke hissed in retort.

Naruto only laughed again. "Hey, no need to be nervous either. It's not like Hinata to leave you at the altar or anything."

"I said shut it."

With a chuckle, Naruto stayed silent, but not without his happy-go-lucky smile plastered on his face.

Sasuke sighed inaudibly and shoved his hands into his pockets with one hand fingering the wedding ring he was to give her. _Damn it. What's taking so long? Where the hell is she? _And as if thoughts could summon actions, the wedding march began to play signaling that the bride was about to enter. With that knowledge, everyone stood and all eyes turned back to watch as father and daughter appeared at the end of the aisle.

Seeing Hinata there smiling at him with that ever-present blush on her cheeks, Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened fractionally at the amazing sight he was seeing. It was odd, but Hinata's entire appearance seemed simply ethereal. His first unnoticeable thought was _How did I manage to capture such an angel?_ And secondly came his doubt that he deserved such a maiden.

Hinata bit down on her bottom lip and smiled more shyly at her future husband as she began to walk with her father.

Seeing her smile suddenly made his thoughts fly away and his attention focus completely on her. It felt as though nobody else was there—just Sasuke and Hinata. Honestly, he would've preferred it that way.

The walk seemed slow, but an exaggerated eternity later she was standing before him with her father separating the two. They exchanged small smiles before facing the fifth hokage, who gave them a sly smile in return. "Ladies and gentlemen of Konoha, we are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Now, who gives this woman to this man?" she asked directing her gaze to Hiashi.

"I do." He stated simply and turned to face his daughter with a barely noticeable smile. His lifted her veil and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead before lowering the veil once again. "I'm proud of you, Hinata." He whispered only audible to her ears.

Hinata's eyes welled up with tears that slowly began to trickle down her face. "F-Father…"

He chuckled lightly. "Crying so early in the wedding?"

She laughed shortly and bowed her head only for his finger to lift her chin back up.

"Hold your head high, daughter. You deserve it."

She nodded and smiled warmly allowing him to loop her arm with Sasuke's.

Hiashi met Sasuke's stare and his eyes narrowed in a silent threat. Understanding his unspoken words perfectly, Sasuke gave a serious nod. Hiashi sighed and went back to his front row seat.

Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other again with one smiling and the other smirking. Oh yes, they were the perfect couple.

He leaned close to her ear. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. Y-You look v-very handsome."

He smirked with pride and turned to face their hokage. Tsunade immediately began with the typical speech, but Hinata and Sasuke weren't really paying much attention to her. Instead, they were now turned toward each other with their eyes locked onto each other with no intention of breaking apart. It wasn't until Tsunade began to say the vows did they finally start paying attention.

"Sasuke Uchiha, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Sasuke's smirk transformed into a soft smile with his eyes never straying from Hinata's. _Yes, much longer than that. _"I do."

Hinata's smile widened and tears began to stream unwillingly down her porcelain cheeks.

"And do you, Hinata Hyuga, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

With a fervent nod she replied. "I do."

"Good." Tsunade rested her hands on her hips. "The rings?"

The couple quickly exchanged their wedding bands allowing Tsunade to continue to the part that Sasuke was actually looking forward to.

"Alright, Sasuke…you may now kiss your bride." She smirked that sly smirk of hers noticing the excitement dancing in both their eyes.

Without hesitation, Sasuke unveiled her, cupped her cheek, and pressed his lips firmly to hers. Somewhere in the back of their minds, they could faintly hear the catcalls and whistling coming from their friends and mentors.

They released from the kiss all too soon, but quiet laughter could be heard between them.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Tsunade raised her hands motioning to the couple. "I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha!" The crowd erupted into applause as everyone stood up and clapped their hands in enjoyment.

Sasuke fluidly picked up his wife in his arms and carried her down the aisle. As they were heading for the edge of the clearing, Hinata carelessly threw her bouquet behind her not seeing that it landed almost perfectly in Ino's hands. She also didn't see the blush rise to both hers and Choji's cheeks, or the suggestive nudge they both received from Naruto and Sakura.

* * *

After the wedding came the reception, which was held in a spacious room at the Uchiha manor. In fact, the room itself reminded everyone of a ballroom despite its true purpose being that it used to be for clan meetings. The room hadn't been used since Sasuke's family was alive, but that would change soon now that he had distinctive plans to resurrect his clan…with Hinata by his side of course.

So far, they had eaten their dinner and made the toasts. Sasuke and Hinata had also done the traditional garter removal and tossing into a group of single men. Much to everyone's humor but the unwilling participant himself, Neji was the one who caught it. After nearly beating poor Naruto and Lee to a pulp, Neji was finally left alone since it was time for the cake. Luckily, it didn't turn out as messy as Naruto's wedding did; but then again Sasuke and Hinata weren't Naruto and Sakura. Even so, as they fed each other, Sasuke purposely smeared some frosting around Hinata's lips just so he could lick it off a second later. With her face burning in a heated blush, Sasuke whispered into her ear. "Hmmm…we'll have to save some of this for later."

"Sasuke!" she silently reprimanded through her obvious embarrassment.

In response, he only chuckled making sure that she'd catch on that he meant it seriously.

"Okay!" Somehow, the quick-healing Naruto had managed to swipe a microphone only enhancing his already loud voice. "I think it's about time for the couple's first dance! Hit it!" he waved to the band, which had at once began playing a slow song for the newlyweds to dance to.

Sasuke merely shook his head at his best friend's antics and ushered Hinata onto the dance floor.

Much to Hinata's inner surprise, Sasuke was an excellent dancer. He led her through each movement with an elegance that reminded her of Neji. She briefly wondered when Sasuke had learned how to dance. "Sasuke…?"

"Hm?" He was giving her his small smile with his eyes boring into hers with a soft intensity.

"Um…" she tilted her head in curiosity. "How did you learn how to dance like this?"

He raised a brow and faced away from her in slight discomfort. "I learned awhile ago."

A strange thought occurred to her. "Did you learn from Orochimaru?" she whispered.

His face snapped around to look at her again like she had grown an extra head. When the disbelief wore off, he scoffed. "No, but I wouldn't doubt it crossed his mind once or twice. Sadistic bastard."

Hinata giggled in amusement. "How did you learn then?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "My mother taught me when I was young."

She nodded seeing the brief flicker of sadness in his abysmal eyes.

"How did you learn?" he directed the question to her.

Hinata smiled in remembrance. "My father had Hanabi-chan and I learn." She paused. "He said…that it was only proper for a Hyuga to know how to dance." Another giggle. "Neji-kun had to learn it too."

Sasuke laughed. "I bet he was a natural."

She laughed too. "He was. And he was my dance partner for most of our lessons."

He grunted.

"W-Who was your dance partner, Sasuke?"

He smiled ruefully. "Well, since I didn't have any sisters and I wasn't close with any of my female cousins, my mother was my official dance partner." He watched her smile widen. "Although, being as short as I was, it proved to be quite difficult."

"I imagine it would be." She inched closer resting her head on his shoulder. "But…I'm glad you learned…I'm glad I'll be able to dance with you now…"

He moved to inhale her scent. "Me too…"

A clearing of the throat interrupted their moment drawing their attention to a grinning Naruto. "May I have this dance?" he held out his hand to Hinata.

"No." Sasuke deadpanned.

"Oh come on Sasuke!" Naruto complained. "It's a wedding, so it's like tradition that Hinata dances with every guy here."

"True." Sasuke smirked deviously. "It is _a _wedding, but it is also _my _wedding."

Naruto whined. "Aww!" he turned to Hinata. "Well? Come on, Hinata-chan. I can dance with you, right?"

Hinata smiled and faced Sasuke with a pleading expression. "I-It's only one dance, Sasuke."

He scrunched his face into a frown.

Seeing that he was going to be stubborn about it, Hinata pressed closer to him until her lips were hovering above his ear. "You're the one I married and the one I love, Sasuke…one dance with Naruto-kun won't come near to…changing that."

Sasuke groaned. "I know that…" he sighed in defeat. "Fine. One dance with the idiot."

Both Naruto and Hinata smiled. Once Sasuke released his wife, Naruto took his place and began leading Hinata in a clumsier dance that just emanated Naruto.

Before Sasuke could start heading back off the dance floor, he was approached by his female teammate, who held out her hand to him. "Well? How about a dance since your wife stole my husband?"

Sasuke snorted. "I think you have it backwards. Your _husband _stole _my _wife."

Sakura laughed. "I could believe that. So, how about a dance so we can swap with them in a bit?"

"Hm…" Sasuke regarded the pregnant woman in front of him. Normally, he would refuse, but the idea of getting his wife back and handing Naruto off to Sakura was a good idea. With a curt nod, Sasuke began to dance with Sakura. Of course, they had to put a good amount of distance between them since Sakura's overgrown stomach was in the way. Nonetheless, Sasuke personally favored that distance between them whether she was married or not. That was just further proof that Hinata was really the only female he could enjoy the presence of as well as the touch.

Naruto smiled sincerely at Hinata. "I'm glad to see you so happy, Hinata-chan."

Hinata returned the smile. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I am happy."

"Yeah…it shows." He chuckled sheepishly. "You know…during the ceremony I was thinking back on our history together. I mean, when you think back to how this all started…it's amazing to see how much everything changed. You know what I mean?"

Hinata nodded in complete understanding.

Naruto continued. "I mean—geez—all the crap we went through…" he whistled lowly. "It's strange to think that it all really started when we were a couple. I definitely don't regret dating you, Hinata-chan. After all, if we hadn't dated who knows whether we would've been married to the people we're married to now. Odd, isn't it?"

"Yes…even though it didn't work out…between us…we ended up with the ones we love."

Naruto gazed at Hinata softly. "Yeah…I really don't regret dating you, Hinata-chan."

Not too long after, Sasuke did regain his dance partner just as Sakura dragged her husband away. Unfortunately for Sasuke, he wasn't with her that much longer. Another clearing of the throat interrupted them alerting them both to a new presence. Looking to the side, they saw Shino there looking as emotionless as usual. "A dance with the bride, if I may?"

Sasuke was about to open his mouth to refuse, but Hinata giggled and agreed before he could get a word out. Just as she was in Shino's grasp, Hinata turned back to her husband with an apologetic smile.

Sasuke only nodded. "I know, I know. One dance…" he sighed and muttered to himself, "With every guy here…"

With that, Sasuke went off and ended up having various conversations with most of the older adults, including an encouraging Kakashi, a perverted Jiraiya, a scary Gai, and the threatening Kurenai. After awhile, Sasuke ended up just staying near Neji while all the other couples went out to the dance floor.

After her dance with Shino, Kiba came over for his dance. Both of her teammates—although with different wording—gave her their congrats and went on to explain how many ways they would torture Sasuke should he hurt her in anyway. Hinata's typical smile seemed to waver during those moments, but she weakly nodded in understanding. Not too much longer, Neji had cut in and began his dance with Hinata. Dancing with her older cousin felt more natural to Hinata, for she had been doing it for years. "Neji-kun…"

Neji gave her his smile-smirk and led them through movements they both had memorized too well. "This brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yes…and we haven't forgotten any of it either."

"No, but most Hyugas are known for having impeccable memories. We are no exception." They shared a moment of silence before Neji spoke up again. "To be honest, Hinata…I was always dreading this day would come."

"Why is that, Neji-kun?"

"Well," he chuckled. "In my opinion, there wasn't a man alive who was good enough to deserve you. A lot of people would agree with me in saying that you're an angel who was born into a human world."

Hinata rested her head just under Neji's chin. "That's not true…"

Neji grunted. "I beg to differ."

With a giggle, Hinata backed up to face her "brother". "I'm just as human as you are, Neji-kun."

"Hn. Not according to my standards. How the Uchiha—of all people—managed to claim you…I'll never figure out, nor will any genius. Even he would agree to that."

"You think too highly of me…"

"And you think too lowly of yourself." His face formed into a regretful expression. "But I suppose I'm part to blame for that."

Hinata sighed in inward frustration. "Neji-kun, the past doesn't matter anymore…you're not the same as you were all those years ago. And…even if you were…I'd care for you all the same."

Neji smiled thankfully for a quick moment before scoffing. "And you wonder why I don't think of you as a human."

The two laughed only to be stopped when someone else drew near. "Neji, Hinata." They turned to see Hiashi standing there looking as confident as ever. "I'd like to dance with my daughter now."

Neji nodded politely. "Of course, Hiashi-sama." He bowed, sent a secret smile to Hinata, and left to go rejoin Sasuke and Hinata's teammates.

When her cousin had left, Hinata faced her father looking inquisitive and also confused. Her father had never danced with her before, not even when he was teaching her how to. This was a new experience for her, and a shaky one at that. She was nervous too. "F-Father…?"

It took only a few lithe motions before Hiashi was slow dancing with his eldest daughter—his _married _daughter. "Hinata, I don't think I can say this enough to make up for the many times I should have said it, but…I really am proud of you. Perhaps if I had noticed sooner, I would've fought harder and more stubbornly to convince you to lead this clan." He saw her wanting to say something, so he quickly continued. "But I can see how unnecessary it would've been. I have a feeling you would've chosen that young man over being the head of the Hyuga clan no matter what. Either way, I suppose you still get to be leader. Well, co-leader to be precise. Instead of leading the Hyuga clan, you will become the new matriarch of the Uchiha clan. It goes without saying that resurrecting the Uchiha clan would be a more honorable position than what you would've been doing in our clan. And…" he exhaled looking somewhat uncomfortable. "I believe you are the only one suited for that position which requires as much strength as it does. Sasuke Uchiha made the right choice…He did not choose someone weak."

Suddenly hearing that, Hinata's tears returned tenfold. All those agonizing years of constantly being put down by her own father and being called weak…it felt as though a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She had been seeking her father's approval for so long that now that it was finally happening…she was praying that it wasn't a dream.

She wiped away her tears and tightly embraced her father without any hesitance. Refusing the urge to cry into his chest, she attempted to mumble out a coherent sentence. "F-Father…I…thank you…"

"Hinata, I don't want you to thank me. I regret not telling you when you were younger. I regret a lot of things…but I'll never regret having you as a daughter."

Hinata put on a shaky smile. "I-I'll never r-regret having you as a father…"

He laughed bitterly. "I don't believe that, but…thank you."

"May I have my wife back now?" Sasuke broke in taking notice of the precious moment that was taking place. Personally, he was proud of the re-building of Hinata's and her father's relationship, but he was getting impatient from being away from his wife for so long on their wedding day. And as we all know…Sasuke isn't exactly the most patient guy around.

Hiashi nodded curtly and parted from his daughter. "She belongs with you now." He stated and began to walk away, but turned around once more to narrow his eyes at his new son-in-law. "You treat her the way she deserves to be treated."

Sasuke merely smirked. "Not a problem."

Hiashi nodded again and left the dance floor.

Looking around them, the newlyweds saw all the different couples dancing around them. Not wasting any time, they pressed close together and flowed to the music once again. "So…" Sasuke began.

"So…" Hinata mimicked with her face nuzzled into Sasuke's neck.

"The reception is almost over, and then our honeymoon will begin." The sudden heat against his neck led him to believe that she was blushing again.

"Y-Yes…"

"That wedding cake is too sweet. That chocolate I bought you is too sweet. However…I think they'll be quite useful tonight."

Hinata giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes…they could."

"Another thing…" he pulled away from her a few inches so they could stare eye-to-eye. "I think we should start thinking of names for the twins."

"Okay…" she smiled slyly. "You think of a name for our son…and I'll do the same for our daughter."

Sasuke regarded her with interest and curiosity. "You already have a name picked out for our daughter, don't you?"

Hinata nodded. "Yup."

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling."

"Why not?" he raised a brow.

She placed a finger against her lips. "It's a secret."

"You can't keep it secret forever."

"No, I can't. But…you'll find out when they're born."

"You're making me wait that long?"

"Yup."

Sasuke groaned. "Since when did you become so cruel?"

"Since I've been spending time with you, silly."

He glared only for it to turn into a mischievous smirk. "Hmmm…I guess I'll just have to show you what cruel really is."

"W-What do you mean?" Her short moment of being superior to Sasuke halted when she began to get anxious for what he had in mind.

"Don't be nervous…" he pulled her closer until his breath cascaded over her anticipating lips. "We have all night for me to show you just what I mean."

Hinata gulped.

* * *

**That's the end of the chapter. Please review! Oh, and just a heads up…this will probably be one of the last "happy" chapters for awhile. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	11. Expectance

**Author Note: **I want to give a special thanks to **Doll-fin-chick **for drawing that picture for this story. It was awesome! The link is on my profile too if you want to check it out. Also, if any of you are interested in drawing anything for my stories, it'd be more than welcomed. Thanks for the reviews too!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

_**Time-Skip: About five months later.****

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**Expectance**

As the Konoha gates came into view, a loud exclamation of excitement erupted from the hyperactive blonde next to Sasuke. Naruto threw up his arms and his grin spread wide across his face. "Alright! We're back home!" he hollered happily.

Sasuke only grunted, but he couldn't deny that inwardly he was just as thrilled. The mission took longer than they expected, but after a week of being gone, they were finally back in Konoha. Of course, it was only Naruto and Sasuke on the mission, and it would've ended sooner if they hadn't argued so much over the directions on how to get to their destination. But nonetheless, it was finally over so they could return to their expectant wives.

Naruto waved to the guards standing by the gate as they passed through. While Naruto was walking by and telling them how "smoothly" the mission went, Sasuke kept his gaze on the road ahead of him with his hands shoved into his pockets. Even though his face was blank of emotion, he almost couldn't repress the grimace that wanted to make its way onto his face. The grimace would've been because of how he felt at the moment. _Man, I need a shower. _His clothes were dotted with blood and blotched with dirt. Naruto's outfit wasn't too well off either, but the amount of blood on Sasuke's clothes was definitely more noticeable than Naruto's.

He had a feeling that he'd have to sneak into the house and change clothes before Hinata saw him. Normally, she'd just worry over him making sure he hadn't injured himself in that soft and gentle way of hers, but since the further along in her pregnancy she went, the more her emotions enhanced. The last time he came home looking as he did at the moment, it practically brought her to tears. Sasuke flinched in remembrance of the way she collapsed onto the couch burying her face in her hands and sobbing about the chances of him dying and leaving her alone with the children.

Sasuke knew it was just the pregnancy making her that way, but he couldn't help but feel completely hopeless in those situations. The few times Hinata cried around him, she was easily consolable. Now…it was just a hopeless situation that he would pray for it to end soon. Although, there was always one thing that could keep her from going into emotional fits, and that was chocolate. He could've sworn that it was like some kind of drug for her. She'd eat chocolate and suddenly she was as bright and cheery as her normal self. It was strange, but he wasn't one to complain when it came to things like that.

It was because of her constant need for chocolate, that Sasuke was always going out to the store to buy it by the dozen. Most of the time, that much chocolate would last her about a month, but lately it was only lasting her for two weeks at a time.

"Man!" Naruto's voice interrupted Sasuke's reverie. "I can't wait to go see Sakura-chan. Have you seen how big she's gotten?" he glanced toward his silent companion.

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto from the corner of his eye before facing straight ahead again. "What did you expect? She's almost due, isn't she?"

"Yup! Any day now actually! I can't wait! I'll get to see my son for the first time…" he gained a far-off look with a content smile on his face.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted with the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "You'll get quite busy in a short while then."

"Huh? What do you mean? Raising a kid can't be that time-consuming, right?"

"I wasn't just talking about raising your kid, idiot. You're in the process of taking over being hokage, right? Hokage-sama did say she was going to hand it over to you in a few months, didn't she?"

"Oh yeah." He laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "Well, it can't be that hard. I can do it—no problem!"

"Whatever. I'm off." Sasuke spoke shortly and began walking away towards the Uchiha compound.

"Wha—oh, see ya later, Sasuke!" he waved and sped off toward the direction of his own house.

Sasuke chuckled lowly under his breath and continued on his way.

* * *

When his humble abode came into view, Sasuke used every sense of stealth he had in order to bypass his wife. He first walked toward the living room window located just next to the front door. He peeked in to see if Hinata was in there, but found that she wasn't. With a quiet sigh of relief, he inched toward the door and twisted the knob as gently as possible.

Once that was done, he pushed the door open slowly making sure no creaking would be heard. He stepped in silently without even having to open the door all the way, and exhaled a breath as he closed the door without a sound. Now that he was in the clear, all he had to do was get into the bedroom and change clothes before Hinata saw him.

At least, that was the plan until he heard a faint sound coming from the kitchen. It didn't surprise him to find out that his wife was in the kitchen, but the noise turned out to be somewhat unsettling. He was stopped in his tracks and listened intently to hear what that faint noise was.

Sasuke heard a few sniffles first followed by whimpers and quiet sobs. _Hinata? _Unwillingly, he automatically thought the worst case scenario. If she was crying, something must've happened. Was she hurt? Were the babies okay? What happened? _She wasn't attacked, was she? _He panicked and sprinted toward the kitchen entryway sliding into the tiled room on the soles of his feet. His eyes were wide with worry and scanned the room until his searching eyes landed on a figure sitting at the kitchen table. Her back was hunched over with her elbows resting on the surface of the table, and her face buried in her hands in an attempt to hide her tears.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke ran to her side. "Hinata! What happened? Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Hinata gasped at the voice and lifted her tear-stained face to gaze at her husband, who was hovering over her searching for any signs of injury. "S-Sasuke!" she cried out while jumping from her chair and locking her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. "I-I—" she hiccuped. "I w-was so w-worried…Y-You were supposed to be b-back two days a-ago…I thought—I thought…"

Sasuke inwardly sighed and wrapped his arms around his trembling woman. Of course, he couldn't press her too tightly to himself since her large rounded stomach wouldn't permit that movement, but he held her as closely to him as possible. "Hinata, it's fine. Nothing happened. Naruto and I were just delayed for a little while."

"But I-I thought—"

"I know what you thought, and it didn't happen. If it did, I wouldn't he here holding you right now, would I?"

Her sobs ceased, but she was still sniffling. Without removing herself from his hold, she turned her head so her cheek was resting against his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry…I'm being overemotional."

She could hear his chuckling reverberating throughout his chest. "It's part of being pregnant. You'll be back to normal in a few months." _I hope._

Hinata nodded and backed away from him in order to dry away her tears.

Seeing this, Sasuke pushed away her hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. When her face was dry again, he focused his gaze onto her milky orbs, which reflected her soft smile. He smirked lightly and glided one of his hands down to her chin in a loving caress. As he held her chin still, he leaned forward to capture her lips with his. Feeling her sigh into the kiss made his smirk widen. It proved that he wasn't the only one who missed their exchanging touches.

He parted from her lips and their heavy breaths mingled. "You've probably been in the house all week. Why don't we go for a walk to the lake."

"Mmm…I'd like that." Hinata pecked him on the lips again. "Um, S-Sasuke…?"

"Hm?"

"Um, th-there's no more chocolate…I-I ran out last night."

Sasuke raised his brow. _That explains it. She runs out of chocolate and has a panic attack…I really need to start stocking up weekly now. _"We'll go buy some on the way home."

"Okay." She giggled in anticipation for her next chocolate fix.

Sasuke shook his head and backed away from her. He was about to turn around until he heard a sharp gasp come from her. He immediately turned around to see what was wrong, and found out that in his haste earlier to see why she was crying he completely forgot that he was still wearing his dirty clothes speckled with blood that wasn't his own. Although, seeing the look of worry on his wife's face made him realize that she didn't know that.

"Sasuke! A-Are you okay?" she grasped onto his arms and scanned his body with her byakugan. "Are you hurt? Were you injured?" she continued questioning and scanning.

"I'm fine, Hinata. Relax." He lifted her face up so she wasn't analyzing his body anymore. "Not a scratch on me. And if you don't believe me, you could always ask Naruto since the reckless idiot was there with me the whole time."

Hinata looked away warily. "O-Okay…" Suddenly, she turned to face him again, but her eyes were narrowed and her jaw set firmly. Sasuke was slightly taken aback by her sudden change. "I need to go change my clothes now. You got them all dirty."

"What…?"

"Just because you have blood all over you doesn't mean I have to. I wasn't the one on the mission." With that, she walked away leaving the dumbfounded Sasuke still standing in the kitchen.

After awhile, he sighed heavily and stuffed his hands into his pockets again. He snorted. "Pregnant women…"

* * *

The Uchiha couple walked until they approached the lake, where they reclined back onto the grass. Hinata rested in-between Sasuke's outstretched legs with her back against his chest and her head under his chin. Both Hinata's hands were resting on her outgrown stomach with one of her hands laced together with Sasuke's. Sasuke's other hand supported him from behind.

For awhile, they just sat there in silence while the light breeze rustled through their hair. The sun was high in the sky shining onto the lake's surface making it look as though it were glittering. The light breeze caused the surface to move about calmly, which only entranced Hinata further. She tucked her head underneath Sasuke's chin and glanced down at her stomach, where she saw Sasuke's thumb stroking her hand absently. Hinata smiled and led Sasuke's hand toward her face so she could place a gentle kiss on his palm before resting their hands on their previous spot. She didn't have to look back to know that he was smiling now. In fact, only a second afterward, she could feel Sasuke nuzzling his face into her hair and neck inhaling her familiar scent. "What do you think about Takeo?" he murmured into her ear.

"Hmm?"

"Naming our son Takeo. What do you think about it?"

Hinata bit her lip in thought.

"Or Kano…or maybe Reizo…"

"What about Minoru?" she suggested.

Sasuke shook his head in disagreement. "No. Naruto said it was one of his choice names for his son."

"Oh…"

"Let's see…well, what are you going to name our daughter?"

Hinata giggled. "I don't think so, Sasuke. I told you that you won't find out until they're born."

"Come on, Hina," he nibbled on her earlobe teasingly. "Tell me what it is. Maybe then I'll be able to know what to name our son."

"No," she giggled more trying to push his teasing mouth away.

He groaned in disappointment. "That's not fair."

"I'm sorry." She covered her mouth to stifle another giggle.

He grunted. "No, you're not sorry at all."

She smiled widely and turned around to touch her lips to his. Just as Sasuke was about to deepen the kiss, she pulled away with half-lidded eyes. "I've always liked Riku for a name." She breathed.

"Oh really?" he smirked deviously. "Well since I'm supposed to name our son, I get to choose what to name him. So, if you really want Riku for his name, then you'll have to _convince _me."

"C-Convince you?" she questioned confusedly.

"Mhm." He moved closer to her until his lips were hovering just above her own.

Realization hit her making her eyes widen momentarily before she inwardly shook her head. With a small smile, she leaned forward to help "convince" him of the name she liked.

Of course, just before they could even touch lips, a loud voice interrupted them from the edge of the clearing. "Hina-chan! Sasuke-kun!" Ino came running up to them with her arm waving in the air. Choji followed her in a slower walking pace.

Sasuke lowered his head resting it on Hinata's shoulder resisting the urge to groan in agitation. Hinata, however, pulled away from her husband and smiled warmly at the other couple. "Ino-chan, Choji-san, how are you?" she asked politely.

"Oh, we're good. We just got done with training, and were about to leave when I thought I heard some familiar voices." She winked. "I should've known it would be you two here at the lake. We weren't interrupting anything, were we?"

Sasuke faced her with a glare. "Actually—"

"No, it's alright." Hinata interrupted ignoring his frustrated glare. She attempted to stand up, but it was difficult, so Sasuke stood quickly and assisted her in standing.

Watching this, Ino folded her hands together next to her face and grinned widely. "Aw, you guys are so cute!"

Sasuke glared indifferently while Hinata stared down at the ground with a blush painting her cheeks.

"Ino…" Choji spoke warningly. "Leave them alone; you're embarrassing them."

Ino waved it off carelessly. "Oh, they're used to it by now." Her wide grin returned and she stared at the couple for awhile before her eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Wait a minute,"

Even though Sasuke wasn't really paying much attention, Hinata tilted her head waiting for Ino to finish what she was saying. "What is it, Ino-chan?"

Ino tapped her finger to her chin. "Shouldn't you be cooking dinner right now?"

Hinata stared blankly for a moment.

Ino continued. "Isn't billboard-brow supposed to come over to your house tonight for dinner? I was talking to her earlier today, and she said you invited her over for dinner. She also said that you wanted to invite me too, but I won't be able to make it." She laughed. "I have to go work at the hospital and be the head medic-nin until you guys get off your maternity leave."

Amidst Ino's rambling, Hinata's eyes grew wider and she gasped in remembrance. She was almost tempted to smack her forehead because of forgetting. "That's right…" she muttered below her breath. "I forgot about that…"

"Wait—what?" Sasuke grabbed Hinata's arm turning her to face him directly. "You invited Sakura over for dinner?"

Hinata smiled bashfully. "W-Well…w-we were talking and…since you and Naruto-kun weren't b-back yet, we…thought it would be better if we ate together…instead of alone."

Sasuke sighed audibly and ran a hand through his hair. "That's fine that you and Sakura get together when I'm gone on missions, but…now that we're back that means Naruto will be coming too."

"W-Well…" Hinata stammered. "Maybe they'll cancel. After all…Naruto-kun just got back, so he'll probably want to spend tonight with just S-Sakura-chan."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her as if she was missing something very obvious. "Are you kidding? You really think Naruto would reject the invitation for dinner? No matter how tired that idiot gets, anybody would know that he would never turn down the chance of eating your cooking." He faced away and grumbled under his breath. "Especially since he's been having to eat Sakura's creations lately."

Hinata smiled. "Well, I-I need to go shopping, so we should leave now."

Sasuke nodded reluctantly and took her hand in his. "Let's go then."

After saying their good-byes to Ino and Choji, they headed on their way to the store.

* * *

Laughter filled the dining room of the Uchiha compound and echoed off the walls. The small group containing the former team 7 and Hinata were all seated at the dining table with their empty plates in front of them. The dinner went smoothly, and now they were simply sitting down drinking tea and chatting away. Well…Naruto and Sakura were mainly leading the conversation, but that isn't to say that Sasuke and Hinata didn't speak at all. In fact, they added in their comments once in awhile earning Sasuke usual glares from Naruto and earning Hinata giggles and whispers of gossip from Sakura.

Naruto sighed as the laughter died down and held onto his stomach from laughing so hard. "Kakashi-sensei never changes…"

"You got that right." Sakura agreed with a nod.

Sasuke leaned forward resting his chin on his entwined hands. "If he's that fervent about getting the new volume for his perverted book, you might as well just give it to him. That Sanin-sensei of yours would probably give it to you for free."

"Doubtful." Naruto shook his head. "Ero-senin wouldn't give anything away when he can get money for it—the greedy bastard."

Sakura ignored the men's conversation and turned to Hinata. "So, Hina-chan, I heard that cousin of yours has been dropping by almost every day just to come see you."

Hinata nodded with a light giggle. "Neji-kun has been so protective lately…"

"It's probably because he's excited about being an uncle."

"Yes…although…" Hinata smiled. "I think he's more nervous than…excited."

"Geez, he's acting like _he's _going to be the father." She paused shortly. "You know…he needs a girlfriend. He can only be the protective brother for so long."

"Yes, but…Neji-kun has never really liked relationships…"

Naruto broke into the conversation. "I always kind of thought that he would end up with Tenten, but…she ended up with Lee."

Hinata nodded. "I thought that at first too, but…Neji-kun said that he never thought of Tenten-chan that way."

"She liked him for awhile though, didn't she?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, for awhile, but…" Hinata stood up from her seat and walked towards the cupboards. "Since Neji-kun didn't pay attention to her, she started to notice Lee-san." After rummaging through the cupboard for a few seconds, Hinata pulled back with a bar of chocolate in her hand and went to go sit at the table again.

"Well, it's not like it matters anymore." Naruto added watching as the two girls shared the chocolate bar between them. "She ended up with Lee."

Sakura nodded in agreement and stood up. "Excuse me."

"Where are you going, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked urgently.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, relax."

"But you went like…before dinner—not even half an hour ago."

Sakura turned on him with a glare. "In case you haven't noticed in these past nine months, pregnant women have to go pee a lot more often!" With that, she stormed out of the room leaving the others alone.

Hinata giggled and Sasuke attempted to smother a quiet laugh of his own. Meanwhile, Naruto ended up pouting dejectedly.

After a moment of silence, Hinata glanced up to Sasuke. "N-Neji-kun called earlier…"

Sasuke eyed her and raised a brow. "And?"

"He asked to come over tomorrow morning for breakfast…if that's alright?"

Sasuke shrugged. "The Hyuga would come over whether it was alright with me or not."

"Th-That's not true…"

"Yes it is." He gazed at her pointedly. "I think it'd be beneficial if—"

"Baby!" Sakura's voice yelled from outside the room interrupting their short conversation.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto, whose head shot up the moment he heard Sakura's shout. "Since when did she take to calling you 'baby'?"

Naruto looked just as surprised. "She's never called me that…this is new."

"Baby!" She yelled again and waddled her way into the kitchen looking frantic.

Naruto stood quickly. "What is it, Sakura-chan?"

While the two men stared questionably at the pink-haired woman, Hinata gasped and made her way toward Sakura. "Baby?" she questioned with her eyebrows knotted together.

Sakura nodded furiously.

"Wait a minute, that's my new pet name!" Naruto complained. "Why is Hinata-chan calling my wife that now?"

Sakura groaned aloud and scowled in the direction of her husband. "You're as dense as ever, you idiot! It's the baby! I'm having the baby!"

Naruto's eyes widened and his entire body froze in shock. "W-What…?"

Hinata faced Sasuke mirroring Sakura's frenzied expression. "Sasuke…We need to get Sakura-chan to the hospital."

He nodded shortly and turned to the still dumbfounded Naruto. With a quick slap to his head, Sasuke managed to wake his best friend from his stupor. "Be the husband and carry your wife to the hospital, you dolt." The dark-haired man spoke to Naruto in a scolding tone.

Naruto's face at once became the epitome of seriousness, and without further hesitation, he ran toward Sakura lifting her up into his arms. Once she was secure, he ran from the house and sprinted toward the direction of the hospital.

Hinata waddled as fast as she could toward the front door with one of her hands resting over her stomach. Following his own suggestion, Sasuke ran to her and picked her up into his arms fluidly as if she weighed nothing at all. She yelped in surprise, but it died away when he immediately started running towards the hospital in pursuit of his other teammates.

* * *

_Many hours later…_

The door to the hospital room opened and a flustered Ino walked through closing the door behind her and entering into the hallway. Seeing her, the Uchiha couple stood in anticipation.

Ino smiled while wiping sweat from her brow. "Everything's fine. The labor went smoothly, Sakura nearly killed Naruto, the baby was delivered, they officially have a son, the nurses washed the baby, and now the little Uzumaki family is relaxing."

Hinata smiled and Sasuke's mouth even twitched into a small smile. The female Uchiha approached her blonde friend and hugged her in appreciation. "You did well, Ino-chan."

"Yeah," Ino laughed as they released from the embrace. "Not too bad for only my second delivery huh? Of course, you've still got the record for most babies delivered flawlessly, but I'm just glad I didn't screw it up…" she trailed off into a grimace. "Or Sakura would've had my head on a platter…"

Hinata giggled. "May we see them now?"

"Oh yeah, go right ahead. Don't stay too long though. With all the patients you've helped, you should know that they get exhausted quite easily after giving birth."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I'm not a medic-nin and I even knew that."

Ino glared right back at him. "Don't be a smart-ass, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but Hinata instantly grasped onto his wrist and pulled him into the room, where their friends were.

Upon entering, they were greeted with the sight of Sakura holding their tiny bundle of joy with Naruto leaning over her shoulder with a brighter smile than they've ever seen. Hearing the door open and close made them look over to see who their visitors were. Hinata stood by Sakura's side while Sasuke went to stand by Naruto. Hinata smiled warmly. "How are you doing?"

Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes. "Like I've used up more than my share of chakra."

"What the hell happened to your hand, idiot?" Sasuke asked once he noticed how nearly broken the blonde's hand was.

Naruto laughed in embarrassment. "Sakura-chan wanted to hold my hand while she was giving birth, and you know how strong she is…"

Sasuke didn't bother hiding his flinching at the imaginable pain.

Hinata was brought back to facing Sakura when she realized that she hadn't really looked at the baby yet. Their son was shockingly quiet and asleep, but besides that, he was definitely adorable. Hinata stroked her finger over the extremely soft skin of the baby's cheek.

"We've named him Akio." Sakura said gazing happily at her newborn son.

"Akio Uzumaki." Naruto stated with an immense amount of pride in his tone of voice. "My strong son."

Sasuke strode around the bed until he was at Hinata's side, and wrapped his arm around her waist. His smirk was teasing. "Yeah, but my son will be stronger."

"What was that?!" Naruto remarked angrily.

Hinata elbowed Sasuke in the gut and gave him a reprimanding glare. "Not now, Sasuke."

He pouted in disappointment to which she only pecked him on the lips before focusing back onto the sleeping infant.

As Sasuke watched the scene in front of him, he couldn't help but want for the birth of his own children to arrive faster. The look on Naruto's face was one that Sasuke had never seen before in all the years he's known him. The hyperactive blonde wasn't giving off his usual blinding smile at the moment. Instead, it was a smile of complete inner and outer happiness. His eyes were softened when looking at his newborn son, and they glossed over with the appearance of the possibility of Naruto shedding a few tears.

Sasuke couldn't blame Naruto for feeling such things. After all, this would be the first time Naruto would ever know what it's like to have a _real _family. It didn't take a genius to see the sense of completeness in the future hokage's eyes. For a moment, Sasuke was jealous, but he pushed it away when he gazed at his pregnant wife. Soon…soon, he too would know that feeling…and he couldn't wait. _Only two more months to go…

* * *

_

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the sight of the Konoha gates just a few strides away from him. The sky above him was beginning to lighten up into morning, and his face still remained as emotionless as ever. Despite that, his hands curled into fists at his sides. "I'm home…little brother."

* * *

**Cool…I finished it just in time. It took me awhile though. I know that I said that the last chapter would be one of the last "happy" ones, but I wanted to throw this one in here to help prepare for the next one. Trust me, it'll be…interesting to say the least. See you at the next update! Please review!**


	12. Descent

**Author Note: **Well, this is it. I hope you guys are ready. Prepare yourselves! Oh and a big thanks to **subakukyuu **for drawing that adorable picture of Sasuke and the pregnant Hinata. The link is on my profile for those who want to see!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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* * *

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**Descent**

Hinata giggled from her place on the large bed. She was currently laying on her back with her eyes following every movement of her husband, who was leaning over her from her right side. A soft smirk played on his lips as he bent down to capture her smiling lips once again. His lips left hers and began to make a trail along her jaw-line. Meanwhile, his hand caressed its way to her side where his finger inched up into her shirt. The moment his fingers touched her waist, he began tracing smooth patterns on her delicate skin.

Hinata laughed more soundly and wiggled under him trying to remove his hand, which was effectively tickling her.

He leaned back clearly amused by this new discovery. "Ticklish?"

She bit her lip and shook her head resisting the urge to laugh again.

Sasuke smirked smugly and repeated his assault on her waist. "Are you sure you're not ticklish?"

Hinata's lips were smiling, and she tried immensely to not let even a giggle escape. However, her attempts were futile the minute she burst out giggling and pushing his hand away. "S-S-Stop, Sasuke!" she pleaded in the midst of her laughter.

"No way. Now that I know your weakness…" he trailed off using both hands now, which only made her shriek in laughter and wiggle helplessly under him.

"S-Sasuke…!" she continued to beg while attempting to push him away at the same time.

He began to laugh victoriously.

It was then that an idea occurred to Hinata to get him to stop. It would be quite a manipulative lie, but she was Sasuke's wife, and she did learn a few things from him. "Sasuke," she laughed more, but tried to make her voice sound serious. "It might h-hurt the b-babies."

Just as she envisioned, he stopped immediately. His smile disappeared only to be replaced by one of complete regret and worry. "Are you serious? Why didn't you tell me, Hinata? Damn it, are they going to be okay? I didn't screw anything up, did I?"

Hinata had to bite her lip once again to keep from laughing at how much he was beating himself up about it. She couldn't help but think how cute he was looking completely helpless. She really should have stopped smiling and continued her act if she intended to get away with no more tickling, but the sight before her was too irresistible. And that's what gave her away, because the minute he saw her smiling face itching to laugh again, he pouted his lip in mock hurt.

"You tricked me. I can't believe you, Hinata. That was a low blow."

Her smile didn't disappear, but she did give him a more teasing and sultry smile. "You would've done the same thing, Sasuke."

He glared. "I know _I _would've done something like that, but you're supposed to be the innocent one who tells no lies."

She smiled wider. "Not when I have you as a husband."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he quirked a brow with a smirk.

Hinata giggled. "You—" she gasped and grasped onto her rounded stomach.

Sasuke immediately grew frantic and hovered his hands over her. "What? What happened? Are you okay?"

She smiled gently and led one of his hands to rest over a certain spot on her womb. She watched as his face looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened to match his small smile. "Do you feel it?" she quietly asked.

He nodded happily. "One of them is kicking."

"Yup."

His eyes didn't leave her stomach as he lifted her shirt so he could rest his ear against her bare skin. "Which one do you think it is?"

"Hmm…" Hinata resisted the urge to giggle again. "Probably the one most like you."

He lifted his face up to glare teasingly at her. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Obviously, one of our children is very impatient to get out."

"So…?" he smirked knowing where she was going with this.

"You're very impatient, Sasuke."

Sasuke chuckled. "Can't argue with that." He bent over her to claim her lips with his.

They stayed connected for a few minutes until Sasuke backed away. He moved to lie next to her and pulled her into his arms protectively. Hinata looked up to meet his eyes, and her smile turned sad. "When…do you have to leave…for your mission?" she whispered stroking her fingers through his ebony locks.

He closed his eyes relishing the feel of her intoxicating touch. "In a few hours."

"When will you be back?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. "Tomorrow night at the earliest." He paused. "And the day after tomorrow at the latest. It depends on how smoothly the traveling goes."

She nodded in understanding. "Who's going with you?"

"Naruto was originally supposed to go, but he didn't have to since—"

"The baby." Hinata finished for him.

"Yeah. So Kakashi is going along with Lee and Tenten."

Hinata's brow raised. "That's…an odd setup."

He laughed lowly. "That's what I thought, but the hokage is running low on ninja, and this is a semi-important mission."

She nodded and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. She felt his arms tighten around her comfortably, which caused her to sigh happily against his skin.

He moved his mouth close to her ear and whispered soothingly. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

Hinata smiled. "I know."

* * *

After saying her goodbye to Sasuke and wishing him luck on his mission, Hinata retracted back into their house feeling a small pang of loneliness. As she walked toward the kitchen, she couldn't help thinking that it was just too quiet with Sasuke gone. The Uchiha couple were quiet people, but at least when they were together that silence wasn't heartbreaking. To Hinata, without Sasuke being there, the house was suddenly colder. That fact had to be pushed aside in order to keep herself from dwelling too much in the realization.

Before Hinata could start making tea, the phone rang making her jump a little in surprise. Without pausing, she quickly waddled over to the phone and picked it up swiftly. "Hello?"

"_Hinata?"_

"Neji-kun!" Hinata smiled feeling her loneliness gradually dissipate.

"_Are you doing alright?"_

She inwardly sighed, but was used to his over-protective behavior. It seemed to only increase now that she was expecting soon. "I'm fine, Neji-kun. Sasuke just left for his mission."

"_He has a mission?"_

"Yes. But he'll be back tomorrow night…at the earliest."

He grunted in acknowledgement.

"Is something wrong, Neji-kun?"

"_No." _he paused. _"Do you need me to come over to keep you company?"_

She giggled. "I'm okay. But, um…you should c-come over for dinner tomorrow."

"_Isn't that when Sasuke is getting back?"_

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. E-Even if he is, though…I'm sure he won't mind you coming over."

"_Yeah right." _He grumbled sarcastically making Hinata giggle again.

"I'll invite Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun too. I'd like to see little Akio again."

He chuckled. _"If you insist, then I'll come over for dinner despite what Sasuke might say…or do."_

"Thank you, Neji-kun. I'll call Sakura-chan right now."

"_All right. Are you sure you're okay?"_

"Yes, don't worry, I'm fine."

"_Okay. I'll see you tomorrow night then."_

"Okay, bye Neji-kun."

"_Bye, Hinata." _He hung up followed by her hanging up as well.

Just as soon as she set the phone down, she picked it back up to call the Uzumaki residence for their invitation as well. She wasn't lying to her cousin when she said she wanted to see the newest baby again.

* * *

Night had settled in, and the dark sky became littered with bright stars. Sasuke's eyes gazed up into the endless sky, but didn't really focus on anything in particular. In fact, his mind and thoughts were elsewhere.

While Sasuke was lounging up on a high tree branch, the rest of his team was on the ground sitting around a comfortable fire. Kakashi was busy reading his book, and Lee and Tenten were talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Well, Tenten was talking in a hushed tone; Lee really had no clue how to do something as "un-youthful" as that.

The tents were set up, the fire was going to die down in an hour or so, and Sasuke was itching to get the mission over and done with. He had explained to Kakashi, the team leader, that the mission was simple enough to finish early. There was absolutely no need to take any breaks like they were now. The sooner the mission was done, the sooner he could return home to his pregnant wife.

In retort to Sasuke's persistent argument, Kakashi merely said that it was better to do the mission right at a suitable pace rather than rush things and screw the mission up completely. Sasuke snorted inwardly. _Kakashi and his philosophical logic. _In all actuality, Sasuke was feeling uneasy. He knew he should be patient since he was going to be able to return by the next evening, but that still didn't seem to be soon enough. "Kakashi," the dark-haired Uchiha called down to the group below. "We should all get to sleep so we can wake up early and get this mission done and over with."

Tenten and Lee didn't say anything, but Kakashi looked up at his former student with a sly expression. "Anxious to get back to your wife, Sasuke?"

Sasuke glared. "Am I that obvious?" he stated sarcastically.

A low chuckle emitted from Kakashi before he turned his attention back to the book in his hands. "Calm down, Sasuke. We'll be back in Konoha before the sun even sets tomorrow."

Sasuke growled, but knew he couldn't really argue with that. The team was already moving pretty fast on this mission, faster than they could've gone. Tsunade had given them three to four days to finish their mission, and Sasuke managed to convince Kakashi to have them finish it in less than two days time. Lee didn't mind; in fact, he was all for it. As long as he thought it was some type of training, he'd be a part of it with no hesitation. Tenten didn't seem like she cared much, but she did drag behind a few times since she wasn't able to keep up with the other men's fast paces. That was a moot point though since she just managed to get her husband to carry her now and then.

To Sasuke, Kakashi was the only slight obstacle. Perhaps the copy-ninja was just lazy, or maybe he found joy in watching his former student squirm. Either way, Kakashi wasn't going to speed up their already fast pace just so Sasuke could go love on his expectant wife. As cruel as that may sound, they were shinobi, and shinobi go on missions. Sasuke partially hated himself at the moment for accepting the mission in the first place.

Him and his damn pride. It's not like he needed the money, but he swore that he wouldn't access his inheritance until his children would need it. Even then, he and Hinata still had _her_ inheritance to live off of as well. Therefore, Sasuke and Hinata really didn't need to go on missions for money anymore. But, Sasuke had his pride as a ninja, and skipping out on missions just wouldn't be him.

Sasuke shook his head to clear his thoughts, and jumped down onto the ground standing near his former sensei. Before he even had a chance to seat himself down by the fire, Tenten and Lee alerted and told them they were going to sleep since they knew they were going to wake up at the crack of dawn the next morning. Tenten merely waved her goodnight while Lee made sure to bid them goodnight with as much exuberance as he allowed.

It wasn't until they were fast asleep and actually quiet did Kakashi speak. "You seem anxious, Sasuke. The last mission I was on with you was a few weeks ago, and you weren't as restless then."

"What's your point?" Sasuke muttered staring dazedly into the slowly dying fire.

"Hinata-chan was—"

Sasuke snapped his attention to Kakashi with a deep threatening scowl on his face. "Who gave you permission to talk about Hinata with such familiarity? You barely know her."

Kakashi waved his hands in front of him defensively. "Relax Sasuke. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah right…" he grumbled staring back into the fire again. "Don't call her that."

"Yes, yes." Kakashi sighed dejectedly. "Anyway, as I was saying…you weren't as restless on our last mission together, and Hinata-_san _was just as pregnant."

"Your point?" Sasuke drawled.

"My point, Sasuke, is that you're anxious about something else besides just being near your wife…am I right?"

Sasuke was silent, and Kakashi was about to sigh deeply from not being answered. But Sasuke did answer eventually, and his tone came off more as wary and confused…and also tense, like he usually gets before a battle. "There's something not right."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You think we might be ambushed or attacked soon?"

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes in contemplation before shaking his head shortly. "I don't think that's it. If that was the case, you would have noticed too."

The older man nodded in agreement, but continued to watch Sasuke analytically.

He continued without even looking at the white-haired man. "I feel very…on edge for some reason…worried even."

"About what?"

"I'm not sure. Something just doesn't feel right, and I can't help but immediately think of Hinata. I normally don't like leaving her alone, but this time is different. This time…I feel as though I really should've stayed behind with her."

"Hmm…" Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "There's really no need to worry, Sasuke. She isn't exactly alone, and you should know that. Naruto and Sakura are there, and so is Neji. Didn't you mention once that Neji nearly visits her every day unless he's on a mission?"

"Yes, but…" he sighed. "Look, Kakashi, I would really…appreciate…" he ground out that last word as if it was toxic to his tongue. "If we got back as soon as possible."

"Very well, Sasuke. Like I said, we'll be back in Konoha before evening settles in tomorrow."

Sasuke nodded, but he couldn't help feeling in his gut that it simply wasn't soon enough.

* * *

_The Next Day…_

Hinata stood at the stove moving between different pans of food, and stirring and mixing occasionally. Steam arose from the cooking food, and made her face flush from the heat. Hinata was used to it, but it didn't stop her cheeks from automatically turning pink.

With a peaceful smile on her face, Hinata hummed and knew that Neji and the Uzumaki's would be arriving shortly for their dinner together. She was hoping that Sasuke would've arrived by now, but she knew missions didn't always go according to schedule. Even with that knowledge, she didn't attempt worrying herself over it since Sasuke was a very talented ninja. She believed he could get himself out of any predicament, and that belief alone comforted her.

Optimistically, she couldn't help hoping that he would be able to arrive soon rather than the next day. She really wanted him to be there for the dinner with their friends. Despite how much he always stated how antisocial he was, Hinata knew he inwardly enjoyed his friend's company…and even Neji's from time to time. With a quieted giggle, the young woman went back to stirring.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening and closing gently alerted Hinata to someone else's presence. Knowing it not to be her friends or cousin, who would've at least knocked, she felt her heart rate speed up in excitement and her smile stretch wide across her face.

Sasuke was home.

Without turning around, Hinata could hear his light footsteps enter the kitchen and approach her from behind. "Welcome home, Sasuke." She bent over the stove to turn off one of the many burners, but still didn't turn around yet. "Dinner is almost ready," she could feel his cold hands rest on her shoulders. "How was your mission?" she asked softly.

"Technically, it's not over yet." The smooth, deep voice replied.

Hinata froze and instantly tensed under the man's grip.

"And technically, I'm not Sasuke." His tone was emotionless and deadly at the same time, much like his actual person.

Hinata's eyes grew wide, her breath hitched, and her lower lip began to tremble. She gulped audibly and turned around slowly to face whoever it was that was behind her. Only halfway turned toward the intruder, her eyes widened even more and her jaw dropped in utter fear. The first thing she noticed was his blood red eyes so similar, and yet so different from her husband's. She didn't notice, however, when his hands returned to his sides, or when upon seeing her eyes did his own widen for a quick second before returning to normal. A small smirk made it's way onto his normally non-expressive lips. "How interesting."

With another dry gulp, Hinata backed up against the counter with one hand gripping the countertop and the other resting over her stomach protectively. "Y-You…y-y-you are…y-you're…"

His eyebrow raised elegantly with amusement. "Itachi Uchiha…your brother-in-law," he took a quick glance down at her rounded belly. "And soon-to-be uncle, I see."

Hinata slid along the counter's edge trying to put distance between them, but their eyes never strayed from each other. "S-Stay a-away."

He angled his body so he was facing her directly. His amusement was gone, and now he looked deathly serious. "I'm quite surprised." He spoke making Hinata freeze. "I heard that my foolish little brother married not too long ago. I heard he was very much…in love with a certain woman here in Konoha. Imagine my disappointment that he gave up his revenge for a chance at a family. Pathetic…and very weak."

Hinata's eyes narrowed as she continued to back up slowly. "Y-You are not w-welcome here…p-please leave now."

Itachi regarded her curiously, and took notice that she was eyeing the only knife on the countertop halfway between him and her. He smirked again. "Or what? Are you going to fight me…Hyuga?"

She could only bite her lip in response and glance away. But the second she looked away, she gasped at feeling the sharp edge of the knife held up to her throat with the older Uchiha standing barely an inch in front of her. Her eyes met his again in utter fear.

"Oh yes, that's right." He talked nonchalantly as if he wasn't holding a blade to a woman's throat. "You're not a Hyuga anymore, are you? Nonetheless, Hyuga blood runs through your veins. I believe I've met you on a few occasions that you wouldn't remember. My pitiful brother not only managed to claim a Hyuga, but the heiress as well."

"I-I'm n-not…" she winced away from the blade, but he only pushed it towards her neck further. "The heiress…anymore…"

"Obviously." He retorted coldly sending chills through her body.

Hinata flinched and knew she was going to regret asking this question, but she had to know. "Wh-What are y-you…d-doing h-here?"

He didn't seem to hesitate to reply. "Since Sasuke got married and apparently fell in love," he said with clear disgust. "It's quite clear that he's strayed from his path of revenge, or forgotten it completely. Therefore, I came here with the clear intention to kill his little distraction, which would be you, his wife and soon-to-be mother of his children."

Hinata inhaled a shaky breath and her eyes widened to an impossible degree of terror. Within that moment, she thrust her palm forward aiming for his stomach. She didn't care that he dodged it effortlessly; instead, she attempted to run out of the kitchen. The keyword happened to be "attempted" since he caught her in under a second and had her pinned against the nearest wall. She let out a whimper as tears formed in her eyes. "N-No…please, don't…" she whispered pleadingly.

Itachi didn't even twitch, and only held her wrists above her head with one hand, while the other hand wiped the tears from her forlorn face. "No need to cry…Hinata. After all, the only tears a mother should shed are those of joy." His devilish smirk returned. "Sasuke was always so predictable, but seeing his wife already pregnant proves that he has some surprise left in him. He has nearly reached one goal…reviving the clan, but," he paused. "I don't think I'll kill you."

To Hinata, it sounded as if he decided that on a whim. There she was fearing for the life of her unborn babies, who were about to be slaughtered by her husband's older brother, and suddenly he decides to change his mind? If she wasn't as controlled, she probably would've had a heart attack. All she could do at the moment was stare at him in confusion.

This seemed to amuse him more. "If Sasuke had chosen anyone else in the village, I would've killed her, child or otherwise. But you're a Hyuga. These children here," his free hand moved to stroke her overgrown stomach with cold, uncaring fingers. "will be the first hybrids of the Byakugan and the Sharingan. Such amazing power emanating from such fragile creatures."

Hinata did her best to frown, but it still came out as something closely related to a helpless pout. "M-My babies…are n-not some e-experiment."

"Hn." He tightened his grip on her wrists making her wince painfully. "You're of use to me, so I will not kill you. However, once Sasuke dies by hands, you will know what it's truly like to give birth to true heirs, and not some spawn of my weak little brother." He released her hands, and Hinata slumped to the floor feeling completely faint.

She looked absolutely drained of energy, and her tear-stained cheeks made her look infinitely miserable. Yet, the tears still came.

Itachi knelt in front of her and tilted her chin up with his finger. He didn't speak until she was weakly returning his gaze. "My brother will be returning soon. Why don't we make your home more inviting? Fear not, I'll be sure to leave him a note so he knows I came for a visit. What a pity that he couldn't be here." His sharingan began to spin and mesmerize Hinata. Her eyelids started to drift close as she felt her consciousness begin to fall away. Before the darkness fully enraptured her, she could faintly hear Itachi's parting words. "Rest assured that I will see you again, Lady Hinata." With that, her entire world went black.

* * *

Sasuke adjusted the pack over his shoulder as he neared the Uchiha compound entrance gates. To any person who saw him, he looked fatigued and irritated. However, that turned to a surprised confusion upon seeing a few people walking through the gates ahead of him. "Hey idiot." He called to the group making the blonde immediately turn around at the familiar voice.

He smiled brightly at the sight of his best friend. "Hey Sasuke! You just get back?"

"Yeah." He replied shortly.

Standing next to Naruto was Sakura holding their newborn infant son named Akio. A few feet away from them was Neji standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a small glare of greeting on his face. "Uchiha." Neji nodded.

Sasuke returned to glare. "Hyuga."

The pink-haired woman sighed with her shoulders slumped. She motioned to herself. "Sakura," she motioned to her son. "Akio. Okay, now that we're all named off, can we please go eat? I've been dying to have Hina-chan's food for so long!" she whined in impatience.

Naruto rubbed his stomach. "No kidding! I'm hungry as hell since Sakura-chan wouldn't let me have any snacks at all for the past few hours!"

Sasuke clenched his jaw in agitation. "Hinata invited you losers over for dinner _again_?"

"Hey!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke threateningly. "Who are you calling a loser? Bastard!"

Sasuke ignored him and muttered to himself, even though he knew it was still audible to the remainder of the group. "I assumed my wife would've been sick of you all by now."

"You've only yourself to blame, Uchiha." Neji remarked with a smirk. "If you weren't gone on missions, Hinata-chan wouldn't be lonely, thus she wouldn't invite anyone over. In the end, it's all your fault."

Sasuke growled and stomped past them with sudden eagerness to escape into the confines of his home. Shutting the door in their faces seemed like a good idea too. Although, a depressed and angry Hinata wasn't a good idea at all, and should be avoided at all costs. _Then again, maybe she'll get over it if it's just this once. _He thought to himself hopefully.

Those hopeful thoughts were crushed and evaporated the moment he took notice of the compound around him. He stopped in his tracks and the rest of the group stood near him staring around in puzzlement. "What is it, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked noting his tense stature.

Sasuke didn't answer, but unconsciously activated his sharingan. He could feel it…that same uneasiness he felt on the mission. Except now, it was more apparent, more tangible. This time, he knew. Sasuke knew without a doubt what his feeling derived from. It was the feeling he only had when _he _was near.

Sasuke's breathing quickened and his hands clenched into tight fists. His eyes immediately located his home, where Hinata was supposed to be, and saw light swirls of smoke escaping through the cracked windows of the kitchen. Smaller tendrils of smoke leaked out through the front door, which was left ajar. "Hinata!" Sasuke spoke absently, dropped his pack onto the ground, and sped towards his home.

Neji, seeing Sasuke run away in a panic, activated his byakugan and scanned the house Sasuke was headed for. His own eyes widened, and he too sprinted after Sasuke. Without questioning, Naruto and Sakura followed in obvious worry. In their minds, only one name appeared at the forefront: Hinata.

In under a half of a second, Sasuke arrived at the front door to his home. Without even a pause, he swung the door open and disappeared inside the thick smoke. Neji, however, halted at the front step, where clouds of light smoke billowed out toward him. He automatically raised his arm to his face and ran in after Sasuke.

Naruto, too, stopped at the doorway, but turned toward his wife behind him. "Sakura-chan,"

"I know." She nodded with her eyebrows knotted together in worry as she quickly glanced down at her son in her arms. "I shouldn't get too close with Akio."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…Look, Sakura-chan, can you go get Granny Tsunade for us? If Hinata-chan is hurt…"

"I know. I'm on it." She turned on her heel and began to run away. "I'll be right back!"

With a sigh, Naruto ran into the densely fogged house of his best friend.

By pure instinct, Sasuke ran for the kitchen first. With Naruto and Neji on his heels, he entered the densely smoked kitchen and surmised that it was where the smoke originated. While his eyes frantically tried to search through the thick clouds, Neji went over to the stove and turned off all the burners and moved the burnt food elsewhere. Naruto went straight to the windows to open them wide so the smoke would escape faster. The men were grateful that there was a breeze that day, otherwise, the smoke wouldn't disappear as efficiently as it was, albeit slowly.

With labored breathing and clenched fists, Sasuke called out loudly, "Hinata!"

Glancing around the kitchen, he truly didn't like what he saw. The table and chairs were thrown across the room at odd angles making it appear as if there was a struggle. However, none of that had the same impact on him as the small droplets of blood on the tiled floor did. Kneeling next to the blood, he gulped and touched his fingers to the cooled liquid. Rubbing it between his fingers, he didn't have to guess in order to know whose blood it was. "Hinata…" he whispered grinding his teeth together.

"She was attacked." Neji stated from his short analysis of the room around him. His stare landed on the blood near Sasuke. "Is that…?"

Sasuke nodded and stood with his hands clenched even tighter into fists until his short nails were digging into his palms.

"Wait," Naruto interjected. "It could be the attacker's blood. Hinata-chan is a really good ninja, so she could've attacked him and made him bleed!"

Sasuke silenced Naruto's attempt at lightening the mood with one of his threatening glares. "Naruto…if the attacker is who I think it is…then…Hinata wouldn't have been able to even block one of his attacks."

The blonde's eyes widened at this and he immediately became even more worried.

Sasuke, without turning to Neji, spoke to him in a demanding and frantic voice. "Hyuga, where is she?"

Neji activated his byakugan and scanned the entire household until his eyes landed on one spot in particular. He pointed out of the kitchen and past the living room. "There. That hallway. First door on the right."

As soon as the words left Neji's mouth, Sasuke bolted out of the kitchen and through the living room toward the hallway, for that bedroom was _their _bedroom.

Behind him, Naruto and Neji followed, but they slowed down when they came to the living room. They ran through it on their way to the kitchen upon first entering the house, but now that the smoke was clearing, they were able to distinguish what was around them. Simply put, it was a mess. The couches were overturned along with the small coffee table. A few of the walls were dotted with specks of blood, and one wall nearest the hallway displayed five streaks of blood indicating it was drawn by fingers. Without one more look, they headed toward the bedroom that Sasuke had entered.

After nearly breaking the door down in order to enter the room, Sasuke stopped in his tracks and along with his wide eyes, his mouth fell agape in horror. Smears of blood decorated a few parts of the walls, but that wasn't what caught his attention the most. The first thing he saw was the writing on the wall above the headboard of the bed, where Hinata was lying. The inscription was written in blood—most likely _her _blood. It stated, "Your time has run out". Sasuke's eyes narrowed knowing whom that was meant for.

Ignoring the writing on the wall, Sasuke sprinted to the bed and gave his wife a quick once over. She was alive; her slow breathing confirmed that much. But, she was pale, paler than he had ever dared to imagine her to be. The only time someone should look that pale was when they were…dead.

Hinata was unconscious and laid on her side in a strange angle. Her knees were bent under the bottom of her pregnant stomach, one arm was near her face, and the other lay limply behind her. The only blood staining her velvet skin was on her forearms. There, Sasuke could make out the many cuts there underneath the dried blood, which had stained the bedcovers as well. If she hadn't been breathing, Sasuke would've collapsed then and there thinking she was no longer alive.

But she was, and that fact alone forced him to run to her and cradle her upper body in his arms. "Hinata!" he called to her praying that she would wake up and everything would be fine again. "Hinata!" he hugged her closer to himself and rested his cheek against her own so that his lips were a mere inch away from her ear.

Unknown to him, Neji and Naruto were currently standing at the doorway to the room with expressions on the borderline of horror and anger. They were terrified by the sight before them, but angry at the fact that Hinata was the innocent victim. While Naruto continued to stay in his shocked state, Neji's eyes strayed from the message on the wall to a conspicuous piece of paper on the nightstand near the bedside. In slow steps, the Hyuga made his way over and picked up the folded paper in his hand. His brows furrowed at the single word on the front. "Brother". The script was elegant, but in a more haunting way. Knowing it didn't belong to him, he faced Sasuke and sat down on the edge of the bed closer to Hinata's limp form.

"Hinata, wake up…please, wake up." Sasuke whispered into her ear as he held her protectively. "Hinata, please…I'm so sorry…"

"Uchiha," a stern voice made Sasuke's eyes open.

"What." Sasuke ground out through his clenched teeth.

"You know who did this, don't you?" the Hyuga questioned almost sounding accusing.

Naruto approached them, but kept his eyes on his unconscious friend. "Who did this, Sasuke? Who did this to Hinata-chan?"

The black-haired man tightened his mouth into a thin line. "It was _him_…my brother…Itachi."

While Neji's eyes narrowed in recognition of the legendary name, Naruto came close to mimicking Sasuke's gaze full of hatred. "That makes sense." Neji spoke and showed the folded up note to Sasuke. "I'm guessing this is for you, then."

Since the very moment Sasuke held Hinata in his arms, his focus became dazed and blurred. However, the second his eyes read the single word on the front of the note, a ravenous hatred clouded his eyes instead. He reached out one of his hands to accept the letter, and didn't seem to care that his hand was shaking in the process.

Once Neji saw that the letter was in the Uchiha's grasp, Neji inched closer and extended a hand toward Hinata. "I'll hold her, Uchiha, while you—"

Sasuke's grip on his wife tightened, and he scowled at Neji with killer intent. He growled lowly and his entire body tensed as if he was going to be ready to fight Neji any second. "Don't…touch…her." He sneered venomously.

Neji backed away seeing the way Sasuke's sharingan-activated eyes spun dangerously. "Uchiha," Neji spoke calmly in a sad attempt to get Sasuke to calm down as well. "It's alright. Hinata's safe now. You need to relax."

At that moment, heavy and rapid footsteps sounded through the house and halted at the doorway to the room. Tsunade stood at the forefront of the small group of ANBU. Turning toward them, she ordered. "Spread out and search the area. Get another team to patrol the forest and the walls surrounding the village. Go now!" Once they disappeared, she turned her stern gaze onto the others before her.

Naruto was the first to greet her. "Granny Tsunade, it was Itachi Uchiha. He attacked Hinata-chan!"

Tsunade's face fell into shock for a quick moment before she ran up to the female body held tightly against Sasuke. When she reached her hands out to her, Sasuke's scowl stopped her dead. She almost recoiled from the stare, but instead returned the glare. "Sasuke Uchiha, if you do not back away from Hina-chan right now, I can not check on her. I need to look her over to make sure she isn't injured badly. If she is, then we need to get her to the hospital immediately. But, in order for me to do that, you need to step away from her." She watched as he held onto her, but his expression was more hesitant this time. "Sasuke, if anything is wrong with Hina-chan, I can heal her. You know this. Now…lay her back down onto the bed and step away. I'll take care of her, I promise."

Sasuke gulped, closed his eyes tightly, and reopened them revealing his black orbs. Reluctantly, he put distance between Hinata and himself, and laid her gently back onto the bed. As soon as he stepped away with the letter still in his hand, Tsunade moved forward and began analyzing the pale girl before her. After only a second, she moved to the doorway and whistled loudly. Only a few minutes later, a team of medics came in with a stretcher and began loading the unconscious woman onto it.

Sasuke eagerly began to follow the departing stretcher carrying his wife, but the hokage stepped in front of him with her arms crossed under her chest.

Sasuke growled again. "Out of the way."

"No, Hina-chan will be fine. She's going to live. She lost some blood, but not nearly enough to give her or the twins any problems. It is because of this, that I'm a little confused." She paused making sure he was paying attention. Behind him, even Naruto and Neji were paying close attention. "I want to know why Itachi Uchiha was here."

"You think I have the slightest clue?" Sasuke quickly retorted vehemently.

"I'll bet you were thinking the same thing I was." Her eyebrows lowered. "That he came here to kill your wife and the possibility of a future family for you. However, that doesn't seem to be the case since Hina-chan and the babies are perfectly fine. The only damage done was to your house…and walls of course. Anyway, I need to know what his purpose was."

Sasuke was about to deny any knowledge he had for his brother being there, but he remembered the letter addressed to him still within the clutches of his hand. Paying the rest of them no heed, he quickly ripped open the letter and began reading the script before him. By the time he finished, it was easily discernible that he was going to destroy it with the amount of anger that was now flooding through him, but Tsunade snatched it from his hands. Ignoring Neji and Naruto, who were reading it over her shoulder, her eyes scanned over the content of the letter and began to understand perfectly why Sasuke wanted to tear it apart so badly.

_Sasuke,_

_It's such a pity that you weren't able to be here for my short visit. Fortunately, I was able to meet my new sister-in-law, who I had originally planned to kill before you arrived. However, I wasn't expecting to find her already pregnant, and I was momentarily surprised to find that she is indeed a Hyuga. It is solely that reason why I spared her and the children's lives. For once, foolish little brother, you have done something right. Although, as you have probably seen on your bedroom wall, your time has run out. Your pathetic endeavors of revenge were worthless, and next time we meet, you will die by my hands. You no longer interest me, but your delectable wife does._

_Once you're dead, I will give her the pleasure of knowing what it's really like to give birth to the true heirs of the Sharingan and Byakugan bloodlines. After all, you know I would be better suited for the job of impregnating your wife._

_Until next time, foolish little brother,_

_Itachi

* * *

_

**That's it for that chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Things are really heating up, eh? Yup, this is just the beginning! Please review!**


	13. Parturition

**Author Note: **There's a reason why this one took me a little longer than the others. I made it extra long, so it'll probably be my longest chapter overall. Thank you for the reviews! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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* * *

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**Parturition**

Sasuke leaned his back against the cool wall of the Konoha hospital. Only a few inches from him was the door leading into the room where Hinata was. She had been rushed to the hospital as soon as she was found by Tsunade, and now his wife was being healed and checked out by the current hokage. He had put up quite a verbal fight in order for him to stay in the room with Hinata, but Tsunade had thrown him out in the end by saying his presence would only hinder her abilities to help his wife.

_She could have just said that in the first place rather than yell at me pointlessly. _Sasuke scowled and exhaled deeply. With his arms crossed over his chest, and his penetrating glare gazing onto the white tiled floor, Sasuke waited. His entire body seemed to have been suddenly stimulated by a huge adrenaline rush, and not a good one. His heavy breathing confirmed that all too well.

His brother had trespassed onto _his _territory, defiled _his _home, and did God knows what to _his _wife, his _pregnant _wife. As if that wasn't infuriating enough, his cursed brother had the gall to paint the wall of _their _bedroom with Hinata's blood, _and _leave a note telling him cryptic details about what Itachi wanted to do with his wife, his Hinata. Raking his hand through his raven locks with obvious agitation, Sasuke glanced quickly around him surveying the small hallway.

Neji was pacing the hallway separating Sasuke and the Uzumaki couple, who were sitting on a bench on the opposite side Sasuke was on. The Hyuga paced and paced with his hands held tightly together behind his back. His usually stiff back was now hunched slightly and his eyes seemed to be glaring worrisome holes into the floor beneath him. If his glares didn't burn holes in the floor, his constant pacing sure as hell would.

Glancing away from Neji, Sasuke quickly took notice of his former teammates. Sakura was cradling their son, Akio, in her arms trying to shush him into sleep. Next to her, Naruto was hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands crossed just over his mouth. One of his legs was tapping the floor quite speedily to signify his restlessness, but his stern eyes showed a serious intensity that contradicted his restless body.

There they were…the closest people to Hinata…all waiting anxiously to go see her and make sure she was all right. Friends…cousin…and devoted husband…all with only one name on their minds: Hinata.

Sasuke's hands fisted against his ribs and his entire body tensed in ferocity. _I'm so stupid! I should've kept the ties I had with people here severed. I was so stupid to make another tie. I was so stupid to bring Hinata into this. If only I had been stronger, I could've killed him and never put Hinata through any of this! _His thoughts continued on as he scolded himself. _I can't let him go near her. I won't let him hurt anymore people I love. I have to kill him, I have to keep him away from Hinata…_

He could remember the words he had read from Itachi's letter. **"Your pathetic endeavors of revenge were worthless…"**

_I'll kill him…_

**"Your time has run out…"**

_I'll kill him…_

**"You will die by my hands…You no longer interest me, but your delectable wife does."**

_He will die…_

**"I will give her the pleasure of knowing what it's really like to give birth to the true heirs of the Sharingan and Byakugan bloodlines."**

_No…He will not touch her…He will not even look at her…I will kill Itachi…_

The door next to him opened breaking him out of his reverie. His, along with everyone else's eyes snapped to the person exiting the door and closing it softly behind her. Tsunade had her eyes closed and breathed a sigh of relief. When she opened her eyes, the first person she looked at was Sasuke, who was now standing in front of her with eyes as hard as steel. "How is she?" he asked.

Tsunade's eyes softened. "Hinata's fine."

"And the babies?"

"They're perfectly fine, and…" she looked slightly confused. "Completely unharmed. The only damage was done to Hinata's arms, and that was minimal. She lost some blood, but not enough to cause any real damage. Frankly, I'm surprised with her condition. If Itachi was involved, I expected her to be half-alive or completely dead." She paused as she watched this information soak into all of their minds. "It's almost as if he had no intention to hurt her whatsoever. Odd…" she shook her head.

Sasuke ignored that and stared at the hokage with determination. "Can I see her now?"

"Hokage-sama," an ANBU member appeared next to them sounding emotionless.

Tsunade glanced at the person and nodded before facing the group again. "She hasn't come out of unconsciousness yet, but you can go see her now."

With that, Sasuke practically bolted into the room with the others on his heels. While Tsunade stayed outside in the hallway to talk with the ANBU member, the group was in the room with the door closed behind them.

Sasuke ran to the bedside, and leaned over Hinata with his hand grasping onto hers firmly. "Hinata…" he whispered with his eyes not even trying to hide the concern he felt. He lowered himself onto the chair next to her bed, and leaned closer until his mouth was directly hovering above her ear. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

Neji, Naruto, and Sakura watched the Uchiha whisper inaudibly into his wife's ear while one hand held her hand and the other stroked through her hair affectionately. In truth, they had never seen Sasuke show such loving care toward anyone when others were watching. If they had any doubts about his love for Hinata, those doubts just evaporated. They too were worried for Hinata, but it clearly wasn't to the degree of Sasuke's worry. His actions almost made them want to leave to allow Sasuke some privacy, but they found themselves rooted to the spot.

Only after about five minutes of watching Sasuke fret over the unconscious Hinata did they hear the door open and close again. Tsunade reentered the room, and looked the epitome of frustration. While the group's eyes faced the hokage, Sasuke's eyes didn't stray from Hinata's face.

Tsunade cleared her throat and crossed her arms under her chest. "The ANBU have finished analyzing the blood found on the walls of the house." She began taking notice that Sasuke still hadn't looked over to her. Although, his posture indicated that he was indeed listening. So, she continued. "Unsurprisingly, most of the blood is Hinata's, and it is assumable that Itachi cut her arms for the sole purpose to write creepy messages. However—"

"Wait," Neji interrupted. "You said that _most _of the blood is Hinata's. What do you mean?"

"I was getting to that, actually." Tsunade sighed deeply and made her indignation a little too obvious. "On the message written in the bedroom, a good portion of that blood belongs to Hinata while…a smaller portion was identified to be Itachi's."

Finally, Sasuke tore his eyes away from Hinata's resting face to stare confusedly at Tsunade. "What?" he questioned almost too quietly.

Tsunade turned to walk towards the only window in the room and gazed blankly out at the scenery. "None of us are too sure as to why that is. So far, we have two plausible reasons explaining why Itachi's blood was found. Both reasons we gathered from the letter Itachi left. He claimed that he had no intention of harming Hinata because she was a Hyuga carrying the hybrids of the byakugan and sharingan. If that is true, then he wouldn't have wanted to take any more of her blood than necessary. It's possible that he used some of his own blood to finish writing the message instead of taking more of Hinata's blood, which could have caused her a large amount of blood loss.

"It sounds like strange behavior from Itachi, but it holds its logic." She sighed again and turned back around to face them with a look of pure seriousness. "The other reason we came up with is derived from Itachi's words. In the letter, he spoke about the mixing of the bloodlines as brief as it was. Mixing his blood with Hinata's could be completely symbolic to that."

Neji stepped forward with his arms crossed over his chest and his hands fisted. "To symbolize the mixing of the bloodlines, he purposely mixed his blood with Hinata's. In other words, the combined blood of a Hyuga and Uchiha."

Tsunade nodded, "Correct. Of course, we can never know what Itachi's true reasoning was for doing that, but it could be either one of those options."

Sasuke turned his attention back to Hinata's sleeping form, and stroked his fingers over the barely visible scars on her forearm. His lips formed into a sneer as a low growl came from the back of his throat.

Tsunade began to speak again, except she sounded less emotional. "I've already sent a team of ANBU to scout the perimeters of Konoha and another team to search through the forests. I have two teams stationed at the Uchiha manor for protection and security—"

"That's not enough." Sasuke spoke deeply as he stood from the chair. "Konoha's ANBU is nothing to him. They wouldn't even be able to land a scratch. Believe me, they'd be useless against him."

"Then what do you suggest, Uchiha, if the best of Konoha clearly aren't up to par with this powerful brother of yours?" Tsunade retorted angrily.

Sasuke was silent, but he was not without his plan. His eyes gazed to the whitewash wall of the room, and he gritted his teeth at the same time his eyes became filled with purpose.

Recognizing the familiar look on their teammate's face, Sakura and Naruto immediately widened their eyes and tensed painfully.

"No…" Sakura whispered despairingly.

Naruto, on the other hand, tightened his fists threateningly to match his snarl. "Don't you even think about it, Sasuke." His snarl became more pronounced. "Don't you _dare _even consider it!"

Sasuke growled again and fixed his dangerous glare on his best friend. "Then what do you propose I do, idiot? Just stand by idly while my brother tries to slaughter my family all over again? No! I'm not going to let that happen again!" It was a rare occasion for the composed Sasuke to raise his voice with such animosity, but Naruto wasn't new to it.

In fact, Naruto just matched Sasuke's glare with his own.

It was Sakura who interjected this time. "No, Sasuke-kun…you can't." she pleaded with tears forming in her eyes. "The pain I felt when you left all those years ago…will be _nothing _compared to the unbearable pain you will put Hinata and your children through if you do it again!"

"Shut up, Sakura." Sasuke spat furiously. "You know nothing about it. You didn't know anything about it before, and you sure as hell don't now. None of you know anything about what _he _has put me through. Not again…" he shook his head stiffly. "I will kill him before he ever sets eyes on her again."

Neji was a little confused at first as to what they were talking about, but it didn't take long for him to remember when the Uchiha had left Konoha with the same ambition to kill his brother. He remembered Sakura crying at the gate before they left on that mission to retrieve Sasuke, and he remembered seeing the pain in Naruto's eyes…the betrayal of a close friend. With his own anger rising, Neji knew he would die before seeing any of that in his cousin's eyes.

* * *

_Tears streamed down Hinata's forlorn face as Sasuke's onyx eyes slowly bled to a deep red. He stood in front of her and all around them was only darkness…a thick cloud of darkness. He didn't touch her, and each time she would reach for him, her fingers couldn't reach despite how close he seemed to be to her. _

_He stood stiff and erect, yet calm and composed. His features were expressionless, but his sharingan-activated eyes were full of unreadable emotions. "Hinata…" She could hear his voice, but his lips weren't moving. "Hinata…I'm…sorry…"_

"_Sasuke…" she spoke but it came out as a small whisper. "Sasuke…?"_

"_Hinata…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…Forgive me…"_

"_Sasuke…? Why…? What's going on?"_

"_Hinata…" He turned his back to her and began walking away into the depth of the dark. With each step he took, his body was slowly being absorbed until he began to fade from her sight._

_In a panic, Hinata ran toward him, but with every step she made, she was getting further and further away from him. "Wait…" she whispered wondering why she couldn't speak any louder. "Wait!" still a whisper. "Sasuke! Wait! Don't leave me!" She wasn't heard, and she could see where he was heading. Appearing from the darkness, two blood red eyes very different from Sasuke's was seen. She knew they meant danger, but Sasuke kept walking towards them._

"_Sasuke! No! Don't leave me!" She ran and ran, harder and harder, faster and faster, but to no avail did she come close._

_He began to disappear until she couldn't see him anymore._

"_Sasuke! Sasuke! Come back!" she whimpered and sobbed. "Sasuke!"_

Hinata let out a low moan as she felt her body releasing from her nightmare. "No…"

Sasuke's deadly voice was heard more clearly. "Unless you have a better plan, Naruto, then—"

Hinata moaned a little louder while trying to inch her eyelids open. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he stopped mid-sentence. Swiveling away from the group, whose eyes were also wide with surprise, Sasuke ran to Hinata's bedside once again, except the chair went ignored.

His body hovered over hers protectively and his hand grasped onto hers in a tight hold. His other hand immediately moved to the side of her face where he cupped her cheek, and caressed his thumb over her skin in soothing circles. "Hinata?"

Her eyes began to open slowly while moving her face toward the sound of his voice. "Sasuke?"

"I'm here, Hinata."

Her eyes were now halfway opened and began to tear up once she saw his concerned face. "Sasuke…D-Don't…Don't l-leave me…please…please don't leave m-me…"

"I'm not, Hinata. I'm right here." He wiped away her stray tears carefully.

"Don't leave me…" she murmured with a trembling lip.

"Hinata, I'm right here…right by your side." He said, but his eyes widened fractionally when he saw the unspoken question in her eyes. He could see it without her even having to say anything. _"Yes, but for how much longer, Sasuke?" _He gulped and said the only thing he could that would be the absolute truth. "Trust me." Then he bent closer until he was whispering directly into her ear. "I love you."

Hinata struggled to lift her arms and wrap them around his neck. Holding him close to her body, she buried her face into the crook of his neck. "I love you too, Sasuke…"

Now, anyone who knew Sasuke Uchiha and walked in on this scene probably would assume that it's someone else giving a bad impression of the iceman. In fact, even his own teammates, cousin-in-law, and hokage had a hard time being comfortable with this side of Sasuke, who Hinata's only seen. What happened to the insults, cold shoulder, and I-don't-care attitude? Where had that Sasuke gone?

It didn't take them long to remember that Hinata always had an interesting effect on those around her. They really shouldn't have been that surprised to realize how much she had melted the ice prince's heart. In a more comical sense (according to Naruto), Sasuke seemed to be clay in Hinata's capable hands. If the situation weren't so dire, Naruto would've laughed and teased his best friend about being wrapped around the timid Hinata's little finger. Alas, the opportunity was passed up due to the seriousness of the situation. Honestly, Naruto didn't seem to notice that much.

Afterwards, Tsunade had asked to hear Hinata's side of the story about Itachi's "visit". After explaining it detail for detail, it wasn't hard to see the anger plainly written in everyone's eyes. More than that, though, everyone held a mix of fear and foreboding about the situation. For it was clear that Itachi wanted to kill Sasuke, and take Hinata for himself. As for the soon-to-be-born twins, no one was really sure what the older Uchiha would do, and they were reluctant to find out.

After Hinata had assured her cousin and friends that she was all right and well enough to go back home, Sasuke complied to her wishes and practically carried her back to the manor. Of course…Sasuke couldn't help but debate with himself about what he was going to do about his brother.

* * *

After about a week, Sasuke had learned to not dwell on the thoughts of his brother. He had to force himself to think that the ANBU were protecting them at all times. He was still skeptical and had grown more than overprotective of Hinata, which thus led him to declining missions in order to be with Hinata almost 24/7. 

Noticing how Sasuke had reacted to the whole thing—not that she could blame him—Hinata tried everything to keep his mind from wandering to the whereabouts of Itachi Uchiha. From her perspective and all their friends, it was working. However, there were still times when he would get quiet and scowl in the distance with a far-off look to his eyes. She could feel that he was instinctually trying to distance himself, yet at the same time, he was also staying by her side as if they were attached at the hip or something. It was strange and confusing, but Hinata had to learn to deal with it and pray that her nightmare wouldn't come to fruition.

Hinata picked up two cups of hot tea and began waddling towards the living room, where Sasuke was. Once she was passing the kitchen archway, her eyes immediately went to her husband sitting on the couch. Her brows lowered sadly as she stayed frozen to her spot. He just sat there on the couch with his chin resting on his fist, and his eyes gazed blankly ahead of him. His mouth formed into a tight line while his sharingan was rotating unconsciously. She knew that look; he was thinking about his brother again.

Hinata sighed morosely and was about to move forward when she remembered something. As soon as she remembered what the date was, a smile appeared on her face and she walked over to sit next to him. After placing the tea onto the coffee table, Hinata carefully seated herself down next to Sasuke.

She glanced over at him from the corner of her eye, and saw that he was still staring off into space. His other hand that wasn't supporting his chin was resting next to his leg. Hinata watched briefly as it continued to clench and unclench showing off his visible anger and frustration. With an inaudible sigh, she slowly reached over and slipped her hand into his own.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at the same time his sharingan deactivated. He turned to look at her in confusion as if she just appeared out of nowhere. "Hinata? Is there something—"

"You…" she interrupted him scooting closer to his side. "You're thinking about your brother again…aren't you?"

His jaw clenched and he faced forward again. How could he not be thinking about his brother? His very essence still lingered in Sasuke's home. Even though the furniture had been placed back to normal and the walls were washed from the blood, he couldn't simply forget that his brother was there, in his home…with his wife.

Taking his silence as a yes, she used her free hand to reach over to his face and cup his cheek gently. Her action alone managed to lead his gaze back to hers. Once their eyes were meeting again, she stroked his face tenderly and leaned closer to place her lips softly against his own. Before Sasuke could react, she had pulled away with her eyes analyzing every detail of his face. Her hand moved from his skin to his hair and combed through his dark locks with the clear intention to calm him.

Hinata gave off a small smile when she realized that it was working. "Sasuke…" she whispered breaking the silence. "I wish…I could ask you to…forget what happened, but…" she retracted her hand back to her lap and lowered her eyes. "That would be asking the impossible…wouldn't it?"

Sasuke was quiet for another moment before frowning deeply. "How can you be so god damn calm after what he did to you?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his when she heard his venomous tone.

The Uchiha male was doing everything in his willpower to keep his anger under control. "How can you just act like it never happened? Like everything is okay now because he's gone?" he paused for only a second to grasp onto her jaw firmly. "He's not gone, Hinata. He will _never _be gone until I kill him. He will keep coming back until I'm dead and you're his play toy!"

Hinata flinched and felt tears stinging her eyes. "Y-You're…" she sniffled. "You really are going to leave me…"

Sasuke was taken aback and he suddenly felt his anger ebb away. "What…"

Hinata shook her head away from his grasp and met his eyes with angry tears beginning to overflow. "Y-You want to know w-why…I'm acting like it never h-happened?" she averted her gaze to her lap and closed her eyes tightly. "It's b-because I don't want you to leave me…us…"

Sasuke's eyebrows lowered and his shoulders began to slouch. "Hinata…" he reached for her, but she scooted away from him making him frown worriedly.

Hinata gazed down at her rounded belly and stroked it affectionately. Inwardly, her heart was clenching painfully. She began to speak in a whisper as her tears dried up. "I was…thinking foolishly…right, Sasuke?" she breathed in deeply and stared on in a daze. "I'm trying to be s-selfish again…" she laughed bitterly. "But it never turns out right for me." She met his eyes finally, and he noticed how sullen she looked.

Sasuke watched as she opened her mouth and closed it and bit down on her lip. Her eyes would stray from his a few times as if she was debating on what to say. Not giving her a chance to think of anything, he quickly moved forward and pulled her into his firm embrace. He heard her gasp silently, but only held on tighter. His chin rested on her head for a few seconds before moving until his face was directly in front of hers. There was barely any distance between them as he touched his forehead to hers. Both their eyes closed and their breaths mingled. "I'm sorry," he breathed as his fingers began caressing her tear-stained cheeks.

Hinata sniffled, opened her eyes, and backed away from him without his touch leaving her face. Sasuke's eyes opened slowly afterward, but his fingers continued to caress her face and stroke through her hair. The only time he broke eye contact with her was when he bent down to rest his lips against her pregnant stomach, where he trailed kisses up to her neck.

He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and automatically inhaled her scent. "Tell me what you want, Hinata." He murmured against her soft skin.

Hinata could feel his lips move against her neck, and it made her absently inhale a shaky breath. "W-What do you mean…?"

He brushed his lips in different patterns over her skin before replying in that same quiet murmur. "Right now, whatever you're thinking, I want you to tell me what you want more than anything."

"What I want…?" she whispered in reply. She swallowed while at the same time leading his hands to lay protectively over her stomach. "I want…our children to…see their father on the day they're born…" she began taking notice of his hands stroking her and his breath blowing gently against her neck. "I want our children to…know their father…and…I want their father to see them…grow up…"

Sasuke chuckled lightly and leaned back to see her face-to-face. He used the back of his hand to rub against her cheek soothingly. "Done." He said with a smirk.

Hinata only tilted her head with her brows furrowed in confusion.

Sasuke's smirk widened. "You really think I'd pass all that up? Hinata," he cupped her cheek while his thumb whispered over her lips. "I need you to understand—"

"I-I know." She interrupted him with a wavering smile. "You…You're just trying to protect y-your family…"

Sasuke nodded solemnly. "But,"

Hinata gazed at him inquisitively.

Another tempting smirk tugged at his lips. "But, no matter what happens, I want my son and daughter to know who their father is. I promised I wouldn't give them the childhood you and I had. So…" he sighed. "Trust me. I will do anything to protect you from Itachi, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my family." He paused and waited until she was looking directly into his eyes. "Understand?"

Hinata laughed under her breath shortly before nodding. "I u-understand…"

"Good." He smirked and pressed his lips firmly against hers in finality.

Before Hinata let him get carried away with their kiss, she pulled away putting some minimal amount of distance between them. Hearing him groan in disappointment, she giggled and gained his attention. "Sasuke?"

"Hm?" he pouted reminding her of a little child who got their candy taken away.

Hinata resisted the urge to giggle again and instead tried to focus on what she had thought of earlier. "Did you forget what the day after tomorrow is?"

He raised an eyebrow at her beaming smile. "Uh, I didn't think you were given an exact date, but isn't when the twins are due?"

Hinata blinked a few times before shaking her head. "No, well, I mean, yes, but…" she breathed out heavily and gave him a reprimanding stare. "It's also your birthday, silly."

Sasuke was taken aback by that small info. _Damn. Is it July already?_

"So, what do want to do for your birthday?" she asked biting her lip in anticipation.

Sasuke sighed and flung an arm over the back of the couch.

"We could have a party,"

"Uh, no." Sasuke interjected and almost chuckled at her pouting lips, which gave him the sudden urge to kiss her again. "Hinata, we really don't need to plan anything for my birthday. The twins are supposed to be due pretty soon, so shouldn't we spend more time on their arrival versus my diminutive birthday?"

Hinata's bottom lip pouted anymore. "Y-Your birthday isn't d-diminutive."

"If it's like any of my other birthdays, then believe me, it is. Besides, I've had like fifty birthdays so far—"

"Soon to be 21; you're over-exaggerating—"

"And, planning will be completely worthless, so don't waste your time."

Seeing his victorious smirk made Hinata glare at him, which only made him turn away to hide his withheld chuckling. "Fine." She spoke calmly and lifted herself from the couch.

Sasuke stopped his laughing and watched her head towards the kitchen with a defiant expression on her face.

"Be that way." Hinata muttered. "I'll just have to take back…the present I bought you."

"What present?" he couldn't help but ask since he had never really received a birthday present from Hinata before. Anytime she got him something, his curiosity became unbearable.

Hinata only sighed and acted like it was really no big deal. "Oh, it was nothing…Sakura-chan and Ino-chan convinced me to buy some lingerie, but…since you're not h-having a birthday, I should just…take it back." She tapped her finger to her chin in thought before she escaped into the kitchen. "Although…it was really embarrassing to wear…since it showed too much s-skin, so…" she smiled at him. "I g-guess I should thank you. Now, I don't have to wear it." She giggled and disappeared into the kitchen.

Sasuke sat on the couch completely frozen in shock. "L-L-Lingerie…?" Had he heard her right? Did she buy him lingerie as a present? Lingerie that she—his wife, his Hinata—would wear? Hinata never wore lingerie before, not even on their wedding night! Hinata was going to wear some stringy and seducing outfit for his birthday? Before he knew it, his whole body began to heat up, and he blushed as his imagination painted such wonderful pictures of what Hinata would look like in those lingerie outfits he had seen once or twice.

Before any blood could escape his nose, he sniffed and stood up practically running for the kitchen. "Wait, Hinata! Maybe a birthday party wouldn't be so bad after all." He left into the kitchen searching her out. "Y-You really don't have to waste all your time to take my present back…"

* * *

_July 22__nd_

"Now, that's what I call a good shopping day!" Ino exclaimed as she stretched her arms, which had bags hanging on them, and smiled.

Sakura nodded. "You're telling me. A whole day completely dedicated to shopping…" she sighed dreamily.

Hinata yawned into her hand and readjusted the bags on her arms into a more comfortable area. Inwardly, she was very happy with all the baby clothes she bought. She also ordered two cribs the previous day, so she expected them to arrive sometime while she was gone. Normally, Sasuke would've been home to situate the delivered cribs, but he was at Naruto's house helping the blonde take care of his son while the girls went shopping.

"How are you holding up, Hina-chan?"

Hinata turned to her right at the smiling Sakura. "I'm doing fine…a little tired and sore, but…I'm okay."

Sakura nodded while Ino laughed lightly. "You know, Hina-chan, you could always have Sasuke-kun give you a nice rub-down when you get home."

Hinata couldn't stop the blush that dominated her cheeks, so she shyly looked down at the ground as they walked.

"Anyway," Sakura spoke up. "So, Naruto told me that you managed to convince Sasuke-kun to throw a birthday party."

Hinata reddened further and nodded. "Y-Yes…"

Ino and Sakura exchanged sly smirks before stopping in front of their pregnant friend. Ino was the first to speak. "You told him about his present you'd be wearing, didn't you?"

Sakura laughed. "We told you it'd work!" she held up a finger as if she was giving a lesson. "If you want something from your man, you have to treat him like a man. The most effective way to get what you want is to tease him with lingerie, especially if he's never seen you wear it before."

Ino planted her hands on her hips with her smirk ever present. "We had our doubts whether this would work on someone like Sasuke-kun, but considering it's _you_, well…it obviously worked wonders. You got what you want, which was him throwing a birthday party, and he'll be getting what he wants, which will be you wrapped up in _only _a bow." The two girls cackled at this.

Hinata's face became an impossible shade of red as she tapped her forefingers together. "B-But…n-now I have to w-wear it!" she gave them her patented puppy eyes. "It's too e-embarrassing! I can't do it!"

"Sure you can." Ino scoffed and slung an arm around her petite friend's shoulders. "After you pop your babies out, you'll get your figure back, and wear your lingerie, and presto! He'll be putty in your hands."

Sakura leaned over to Ino's side and whispered in her ear. "Hard to imagine Sasuke-kun being putty in anybody's hands, huh?"

"No kidding," she whispered back. "Our shy friend is more talented than we gave her credit for."

"Mhm!"

"G-Guys," Hinata interrupted them trying to change the subject. "It's getting dark. D-Didn't you want to go eat somewhere…before we go back home?"

The two girls blinked a few times before smiling widely in recognition. "Oh yeah!"

Sakura stepped forward. "I know just the place! And, don't worry, it's not the ramen bar."

The blonde sighed. "Thank God. I was beginning to think his love for ramen rubbed off on you, billboard-brow."

"Shut it, Ino-pig!"

Hinata just giggled and followed the two arguing friends of hers.

* * *

Sasuke watched with irritation as Naruto bounced Akio on his lap while cooing incoherent phrases making the little boy giggle. Naruto laughed too at his son, who was now beginning to sport off a few blonde hairs to match his emerald eyes. "Hey Sasuke, you wanna hold him?" 

"No way. He's not my kid."

"What? You came over to help me watch him while the women are shopping!"

Sasuke sighed resting his head on his palm. "I only came over because they'll all come here afterwards, and I don't want Hinata walking home alone."

Naruto smirked mischievously. "Aw, you're getting soft, bastard."

He growled in reply. "Shut up. You're one to talk, idiot."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved it off. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Hinata-chan softens everybody up. Take Neji for example."

Sasuke snorted and mumbled under his breath.

The blonde future hokage childishly stuck his tongue out at his best friend. "I can't wait to see how much softer you're going to get once your kids are born."

"Hn. Yeah right…"

Naruto suddenly stopped playing with Akio and stared at Sasuke pleadingly. "Hey, Sasuke? Can you hold him for a bit?"

"What—no. He's your kid, not mine."

"Ah, come on Sasuke! I really need to go pee!"

"Why is that my problem?"

"Sasuke! Please! I'm not gonna take him to the bathroom with me!"

Sasuke snarled. "You owe me for this." He held out his arms reluctantly and let Naruto hand the baby into his hands. Once the blonde saw that his son was secure, he bolted for his bathroom.

Sasuke held out the spawn of his best friend a good arms-length away from him. His onyx eyes gazed at the small boy analytically. He waited until he heard the bathroom door shut before he glared at Akio. "Listen kid, I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention." The baby cooed in response and tilted his head with a big toothless smile. "You stay away from my daughter, got that?"

* * *

Hinata sipped at her tea and scooted her bags close to her chair. Across from her sat Sakura and Ino, who were drinking their sake with earnest. Ino placed her cup down on the table and exhaled happily. "Ah, so good." 

Sakura nodded. "Nothing beats sake after a long day of shopping."

Hinata smiled and blew the steam from her hot tea.

"Oh," Ino stared at Hinata. "After the twins are born, we'll have to take you out for sake so you don't miss out on how this feels."

"That's a-all right." The dark-haired girl smiled. "I don't think I'll drink s-sake again…"

The two girls laughed in remembrance of the last time Hinata drank a little too much. Sakura had to wipe a stray tear from the corner of her eye. "Ah, good times…"

Hinata smiled gently and moved to take a drink from her tea again. She stopped suddenly and her eyes widened when she felt a sharp pain coming from her womb. One hand lowered her teacup to the table while the other one pushed against the part of her stomach where the pain originated. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she bit down on her lip waiting for the pain to subside.

Sakura took notice of the pain-filled look on her friend's face and immediately became worried. "What's wrong, Hina-chan? Are you okay?"

Ino stopped laughing at once and saw what Sakura was implying. "Hina-chan?"

Hinata breathed in and out deeply once the pain was depleting. She nodded, but kept her gaze on her rounded belly. "I-I'm okay…It w-was noth—Ah!" the sharp pain hit her harder that time making her hunch over and wrap her arms around her stomach.

Sakura and Ino stood up from their seats, and accidentally knocked their chairs over in their haste to stand next to Hinata. The pregnant Uchiha panted as the pain desisted only to start up again.

"Damn it!" Ino cursed.

"Oh, crap…" Sakura placed her hand against Hinata's womb. "She's having contractions!"

"What?" Ino widened her eyes.

"She going into labor, Ino! We need to get her to the hospital and quick!"

"Right," Ino swiveled around and pointed at some random guy sitting at the nearest table. "You! Grab these bags and follow us now!"

"W-Wait," he tried to release himself, but one glare from the Yamanaka and he was at her mercy.

At once, Sakura and Ino practically carried Hinata to the hospital with the poor man carrying the bags behind them.

* * *

Akio's loud wails echoed throughout the entire Uzumaki house. "Come on, Akio-chan," Naruto pleaded as he tried to feed the bottle to his son, who was cradled in his arms. 

"Will you shut that thing up already!" Sasuke shouted in aggravation with his fingers in his ears.

"I'm trying!" Naruto shouted back. "He's hungry, but he won't drink the milk!"

"Are you sure it's even breast milk?"

"Yeah! Sakura labeled the bottle for me and left directions too!"

"So, you warmed it up, right?"

"Uh…yeah…"

Sasuke stole the bottle from Naruto's grasp and squeezed a few drops of milk onto his wrist. "You idiot! What are you trying to do—scold him? It's frickin' hot!"

"What? I thought it was okay when I tasted a little bit of it…" he trailed off when he noticed the disgusted look on his friend's face. "What?"

"You…" Sasuke resisted the urge to gag and throw up. "You drank…Sakura's breast milk?"

"Well, yeah! How else would I have known if it was warm or not?"

"Naruto…" he shoved the bottle back into the blonde's hands. "You are beyond—" he was interrupted when the phone rang, which only added more noise on top of the child's screaming.

"Sasuke…!" Naruto whined while rocking his son in his arms. "Can you answer the phone?"

"What? It's not my phone!"

"Come on! I'm busy!"

"Then just let the machine get it."

"It might be Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke snarled and grumbled under his breath as he stalked toward the phone. Ignoring the two loudmouths behind him, he picked up the phone and put it to his ear. "What?"

"_Is that any way to answer our phone, you idiot! Damn it, Naruto, I thought you knew better by now! If you're not answering the phone with some loud yell, you're being rude and—"_

Sasuke growled and tightened his grip on the phone. He could easily tell that the person was no doubt his former female teammate. "Shut up for a second, Sakura." He scowled and spoke with ferocity, which instantly silenced her. "First off, I'm not Naruto. Secondly, I'm just answering the damn phone. And third, what the hell do you want?"

"_Oh! Sasuke-kun, it's you! Thank God! Listen, you need to get down to the hospital right now!"_

"What? What for? What happened? Where's Hinata?" He gripped the phone tighter and tighter. Inwardly, he was wondering why it hadn't broke yet. Then again, this was the Uzumaki household.

"_Sasuke-kun, Hina-chan has gone into labor. She's with Tsunade-sama right now—"_

"I'm on my way." He muttered before hanging up the phone and running towards the front door.

"Sasuke! What's going on? Was that Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah! Hinata's having the twins!" he yelled before disappearing out the door.

Naruto's eyes widened, and within a moment he was gathering all the baby supplies and running out the door as well.

* * *

Hinata closed her eyes and panted as the pain surged through her again and again. Tsunade was positioned at Hinata's feet with a few other nurses running in and out of the room. Her hands clenched onto the sheet under her and little whimpers escaped her lips. She could also feel the sweat just rolling down her forehead. "Sasuke…" she whimpered. 

Tsunade glanced up at her quickly before turning her attention back to where it was previously. "Don't worry, Hina-chan. Sakura went to go call him. You need to just focus on breathing, okay? In and out."

Sakura burst through the door shutting it behind her and slipping on her doctor's uniform as she went. "I just got a hold of Sasuke-kun. He said he's on his way, okay Hina-chan? It'll be all right." She smiled reassuringly and took her place beside Tsunade. "I can take over from here, Tsunade-sama."

"Good." The older woman sighed and gave her position to her student.

"Tsunade-sama, how has she been doing?"

"She's getting really close. Give her a few minutes and the twins will be coming out shortly. Be ready!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama,"

"I need to go keep the nurses in line so you can get all the help you need."

"Thank you."

"Sure," Tsunade left through the door entering the hallway, where Ino was waiting impatiently.

"Sakura-chan…!" Hinata pleaded with tears forming in her eyes. "I-I need S-Sasuke…"

"I know, Hina-chan, I know. Remember to breathe, okay? You ready to start pushing?"

"Yes, yes…please…" the pain was feeling way too unbearable, and all Hinata wanted was to make the pain stop and get her babies out of her. Most of all, though, she wanted her husband there holding her hand.

Only a few minutes passed before Sakura ordered a few nurses in to give her a hand as she held out her own hands expectantly. "Okay, Hina-chan, push now!"

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke! Wait up!" 

Sasuke ignored his best friend's call and forced his way through the hospital doors. He ran to the front desk, but someone intercepted him quickly. Looking to the side, he met eyes with light blue eyes. "Sasuke-kun, this way!" Ino grabbed onto his arm and motioned for him to follow her. In any other circumstance, Sasuke would've had some smart-ass retort to her dragging him, but now he was running alongside her.

"What happened?" he asked without even looking at her.

"We were eating out, and she started having contractions." She glanced at him quickly. "Labor pains. She's in one of the rooms with Sakura."

"Sakura?"

"Yeah, she's going to be delivering the baby—err, babies."

"I thought the hokage was doing it?"

"Nah, Hina-chan promised Sakura that she'd get to deliver her babies for her. Plus, I think Hina-chan would prefer a friend rather than a boss."

"Hmm…"

"Here, Sasuke-kun," she stopped and pointed to a door. "She's in there. You're the only one allowed in."

He nodded shortly and ran in quickly. He stopped for a second once he was inside, but ran to the bedside when he saw Hinata.

"Sasuke…" Hinata smiled shakily upon noticing him finally. "You came…"

"Of course I came." He reached forward to hold onto her hand firmly.

This action made her tear up more. "Sasuke…"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called to him with urgency. "You lead her through her breathing, alright? Hina-chan, push!"

Hinata only gritted her teeth, closed her eyes tightly, and pushed with all her might. In return, Sasuke squeezed her hand matching the amount of strength his wife was putting into their handhold. He knew if he didn't, his hand would be crushed.

He wiped away her tears that were now mixing with her sweat. "Breathe, Hinata, breathe. You're doing great,"

"Ah—it hurts…it hurts so much!"

"I know, I know. I'm right here, it's okay."

"Push harder, Hina-chan!" Sakura called wincing at Hinata's scream. "I can see the head of the first one! Come on, Hina-chan, a few more pushes, you can do it!"

* * *

Naruto was breathing heavily by the time he got to the hallway, where Ino was sitting and tapping her chin. "Hey, Ino!" 

"Naruto," she saw him and helped him sit down with Akio cradled in his arms.

"Where's Sasuke?"

She nodded towards the room across from them. "In there with Hina-chan and Sakura."

"Sakura-chan is delivering the babies?"

"Yup." Her face froze for a moment. "Oh crap! I totally forgot! I'll be right back, I need to go call everybody!"

"Wait, everybody?"

"Yeah," she called down the hall. "Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, Hinata's sister and father…everybody!"

* * *

"Here we go!" Sakura exclaimed pulling the baby out gently. She quickly cut the umbilical cord, and held the baby in her arms. "Congratulations, you two. Your son was born first." She smiled and handed the baby to one of the nurses to give to Hinata. 

The nurse handed the baby over to Hinata, who held him lovingly. She smiled wearily and stroked her son's cheeks. He was wailing until she began to shush him quietly. "It's okay, sweetie…Shh…mama's here."

His cries quieted slowly but surely upon meeting eyes with his mother. The same nurse approached her to take the baby back. "We'll go get him cleaned up for you, and return him right away, okay?"

Hinata nodded and gave her son back. She was depressed at not holding him longer, but that disappeared once another pain wracked through her stomach.

"Damn it, the other one is coming already?" Sakura moved to stand in her position. "What happened to the gaps between birthing twins?"

Sasuke grasped onto her more tightly and whispered into her ear soothingly. "Alright, Hinata. One more, okay? Come on, it's going to be okay…"

"Okay, Hina-chan! Let's do this again! Push! This one will be a lot quicker than your son."

* * *

Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall and then at the group of people lining the hallway around Hinata's birthing room. _Wow…Almost one in the morning and everybody here is pumped with energy._

Neji was pacing the hallway, Hiashi and Hanabi were seated and tapping almost every limb on their body, Naruto was sitting down trying to feed his son again, and the other teams and senseis were scattered around. Naruto sighed and shook his head. _Man, when Ino calls people, she really does call everybody. Damn, Neji's going to burn holes in that floor. I hope Hinata-chan is doing okay…

* * *

_

"Almost done, Hina-chan!" Sakura encouraged as she slowly pulled out the baby. "One more push—this is the last one."

Hinata screamed and pushed as hard as she could.

Sakura finished pulling the baby out, cut the umbilical cord, and breathed a sigh of relief. "All done, Hina-chan. You did great."

In response, Hinata collapsed back onto her pillow and focused on calming her breathing. Sasuke stayed right next to her caressing her face with his hand and kissing her gently.

"Your baby girl looks completely healthy." Sakura beamed and handed the baby to her mother. And just like the last one, Hinata smiled wearily and cooed her daughter into not crying anymore. Sakura faced the nurses with a look of complete authority. "All right, get Hina-chan fixed up and clean up the baby. When you're done, bring the babies back so their parents can see them. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

A little while later, Hinata was patched up as sore as she was, and two nurses brought in the twins. They handed both twins to their mother, and left. Sakura watched the family for a quick second before leaving the room to give them alone time. After all, she still had to go and tell the others that it was a success.

Sasuke leaned over his wife as they both gazed lovingly at their newborns. "Aren't they beautiful, Sasuke?" she murmured softly and bent over to kiss both of their foreheads.

In truth, all Sasuke could do was look. His whole body seemed frozen as his emotions went on overdrive. Not once in his life had he ever felt such emotions. Never before had he ever…loved someone after only seeing them once. But, these two weren't strangers, they were his children…children that he and Hinata created.

His lips twitched into a smile and for the first time, he actually felt like crying tears of joy. He had to hold himself back, though, since Hinata was taking care of that for the both of them.

Hinata looked up at him with a smile of pure content and happiness. "Would you like to hold one of them, Sasuke?"

He stared blankly at her for a moment. "Well, uh…I don't want to drop them…"

"You won't. Here," she handed over their son for Sasuke to take. "Make sure to support his head."

Carefully, he cradled his newborn son in his arms and gazed into his half-sleeping face. His smile reappeared as he continued to watch intently. "My son…"

"What are you going to name him, Sasuke?" she asked as she stroked her daughter's sleeping face.

Sasuke's smile turned into a smirk. "I was thinking about…Riku."

Hinata's mouth dropped just slightly at the recognition of the name.

Sasuke only chuckled at her expression. "Someone did tell me that they've always like Riku for a name. And she did convince me quite nicely."

Hinata blushed at the memory, and nodded in agreement. "Riku is a strong name for our son…"

"And our daughter?" he asked expectantly.

Sensing his pent-up curiosity, Hinata smiled and turned her gaze to their daughter. "Well…I've been thinking about it for a long time, and…I'm going to name her…Mikoto."

Sasuke's face reflected his surprise at the name of his mother. Once he got over his shock, he saw that Hinata was looking at him warily.

"Is…Is that okay?"

He smiled softly and leaned over to kiss her softly. "It'll suit her really well." He leaned back up and glanced between his children. "Riku and Mikoto Uchiha…"

Hinata giggled. "We're your parents."

The momentary silence was interrupted when Riku began to whimper and cry. Sasuke tensed cautiously. "What did I do?"

His wife giggled again. "He's probably just hungry. Here, I'll trade you." The two switched children until Hinata was quieting her son, and Sasuke was being even more protective with his daughter.

While Hinata immediately began feeding him, Sasuke situated her until she seemed comfortable. He glanced to make sure Hinata wasn't listening and moved his mouth above his daughter's small ear. He whispered, "Listen, whatever you do, don't let that kid named Akio anywhere near you, okay? You deserve a lot better than him."

"That's not very nice, Sasuke…" Hinata murmured softly finishing up their son's feeding.

Sasuke could only curse inwardly at being caught.

A knock sounded at the door, and a blonde head peeked through with a wide smile. Both new parents turned to look, and Hinata smiled in return. "Tsunade-sama?"

"There's a lot of people out here wanting to see you guys."

Sasuke frowned skeptically. "A lot of people? Ugh, don't they have lives."

Tsunade sighed. "Yes, but they also have friends and families. I'll tell you what, I'll send them in groups. Family first, okay?"

Hinata nodded, made sure she was presentable, and the hokage left. A moment later, Neji walked through the door with Hanabi and Hiashi on his heels. All three of them walked to Hinata's side and looked her over as if she had any injuries. "How are you?" Neji asked sincerely.

Hinata smiled. "I'm fine. Sore…but fine."

Neji nodded, and the other two stepped forward. "Hina-chan!" Hanabi greeted as she seated herself next to her sister, and overlooked her new nephew. "Ah, he's so cute! What's his name?"

Sasuke answered. "We named him Riku, and our daughter Mikoto."

"Aw, how cute! Can I hold him?"

"Sure, Hanabi-chan, come here."

While the two sisters fawned over the infant boy and Hiashi looked on at them with a small smile, Neji stood near Sasuke. Sasuke was still gazing at his daughter, and Neji glanced between his cousin and cousin-in-law.

Once Riku was in Hanabi's arms, Hinata turned her smile to her husband and cousin. "Sasuke," she caught his attention. "Let Neji-kun hold Mikoto."

"What? Why?" Sasuke immediately held her closer in a protective stance.

"Sasuke," Hinata pouted ignoring how uncomfortable Neji began to appear.

"Actually, Hinata-chan," Neji spoke up. "I don't think—"

"Hold out your arms." Sasuke commanded with a stern expression as if he was going to attack Neji if anything happened to his daughter.

"Uh…okay." Neji held out his arms to mimic the way Sasuke had his arms positioned.

Sasuke walked over and gently placed his little girl into Neji's arms. "Support her head."

"Like this?"

"Yeah,"

Hinata watched the two men with an insurmountable amount of amusement. She couldn't help but giggle to herself.

"Hanabi," Hiashi stepped in front of his youngest. "I'd like to hold my grandson."

"Sure, father, here ya go."

Once Riku was in Hiashi's arms, the grandfather held the baby with pride. "He will be a strong boy." He gazed into his grandson's barely open eyes. "Interesting color of eyes. A dark gray. Mix of black and white, I suppose. Yes, these two will be very strong indeed."

Hearing this, Sasuke moved to stand in front of his father-in-law. "Yeah, they will be strong." He furrowed his brows into a frown. "But they will become strong of their own accord." He glanced back to Hinata before facing Hiashi again. "No child of ours is going to be given the childhood we had to go through."

Hiashi half-smiled in regret from his own fathering skills. "That's good to hear."

For the next hour or so, small groups of their friends came in to see the new family. Shino, Kiba, and Kurenai came in next followed by Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. Tenten, Lee, and Gai made a short visit since the dynamic duo were making too much noise. Naruto, Sakura, Akio, and Kakashi came last. It was during that visit that they learned something interesting.

Sakura was standing next to Hinata with Mikoto in the pink-haired woman's arms. Sasuke was holding Riku at the same time Naruto was holding Akio. Kakashi stood behind them with his famous book in hand. The two babies stared curiously at each other while Naruto and Sasuke were glaring. Between them, they were having an argument about whose son was going to be stronger.

Ignoring their husbands, Sakura and Hinata watched the little girl sleep soundly. "She's beautiful, Hina-chan. Man, now I want a little girl."

Hinata giggled.

"Well," Sakura spoke a little louder so everyone in the room could hear. "Mark this day. Now, July 23rd doesn't belong to just Sasuke-kun anymore."

The new parents looked at her in confusion for a minute.

Sakura saw this and clarified. "You were in labor for awhile, so by the time the twins were born it was already the 23rd."

Hinata smiled in realization and met eyes with her stunned husband, who was now sitting next to her on her bed, with their son still in his arms. Hinata reached up to caress his face. "Happy birthday, Sasuke."

Sasuke lowered his gaze to the newborn in his arms and smiled gently. _This birthday definitely beats the other ones by a long shot. Who could ask for a better present?

* * *

_

**I told you it was going to be long. Whew! Took me awhile. Anyway, be appreciative and review okay?**


	14. Contemplate

**Author Note: **Aren't you glad I uploaded this early? Better be appreciative! Thank you for the reviews!

_**Warning: This chapter contains slightly mature themes, so be aware.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**

* * *

**

**Contemplate**

Sasuke's face seemed to be in a permanent scowl. He knew his hair was in slight disarray, and there had to have been dark bags under his eyes. At this point, all he could think was _What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to this?_

He was sitting at the dining room table with every chair occupied by somebody he knew or his "friends" as he was supposed to call them. On his right was Naruto and on his left was Neji. Oh joy. All around the large table sat the entire rookie nine along with Gai's team. Everyone was talking to each other…some louder than others.

Gai and Kakashi were seated towards the end of the table glaring at each other, and Kurenai kept herself busy by being the referee. Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji were talking amongst themselves, Sakura and Ino were giggling while playing with Akio, Tenten was watching Naruto and Lee talk on and on about some mission they went on, and Neji was having small talk with Sasuke. For once, Sasuke was thrilled to be talking to Neji instead of any of the other guests.

"You sure look like you're enjoying yourself." Neji muttered sarcastically.

Sasuke gave him a tired glare. "For the past five days, I've slept a grand total of ten hours, and that was when Hinata was still in the hospital." He sighed and rested his frowning face onto his palm. "We've been home for the past three days, and the twins are definitely keeping us on our toes."

"Don't you and Hinata trade on and off when the babies need taken care of?"

"Yes," Sasuke ground out through his clenched teeth. "When it's not our turn, we sleep until it becomes our turn again. I also eat once in awhile."

"You're not letting Hinata starve, are you? She needs plenty of nutrition for the—"

"I know that." Sasuke hissed. "She takes care of that herself. I made sure she always has some type of food in her hands, so she doesn't skip a meal…like I do…"

"Hn." Neji raised a skeptical brow. "If you guys are that tired, why bother with a five-days-late birthday party?"

Sasuke sighed again. "I already promised Hinata that we would throw a party for my birthday…even if it would be a few days late."

"Ah," he chuckled lightly once he caught sight of his cousin putting candles onto a cake on the counter. Apparently, the twins were sleeping in the nursery, which left the exhausted parents time to host the party. Neji quickly compared Sasuke's appearance to Hinata, and immediately became amused. "How is it that Hinata seems more lively than you?"

Sasuke snorted. "I don't know how she does it. She's always smiling as if she enjoys being woken up at three in the morning. She should get the frickin' mother of the year award."

Neji laughed and took a drink from his sake.

"Okay…" Hinata whispered as she carried the cake over to the table. She stood next to her husband and leaned over to place the cake in front of him. The candles were lit, and after placing it down, she pulled away and gave a quick kiss on Sasuke's cheek. He faced up at her with a small smile to match her delighted smile.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled attracting everyone's attention to the head of the table. "Cake's here so let's sing!"

Just as Naruto and Lee led everyone in the typical happy birthday song, Ino stood back a ways with her camera in hand and began taking pictures of the joyous moment. Inwardly, she dubbed herself as the official photographer and was going to keep taking pictures whether people knew it or not.

Once the out-of-tune song ended, all the guests clapped their hands and tried to coax Sasuke into blowing out his candles. He glared at them stating that he obviously wasn't going to do something so childish, but a few teasing remarks from Naruto, and Sasuke was blowing until every lit candle was extinguished. As soon as the last flame blew out, clapping erupted once again followed by a lot of "Happy Birthday Sasuke!" exclamations.

Hinata and Sakura helped distribute the cake to everyone while Sasuke was busy opening his presents. He opened Kakashi's present first. Once the wrapping was removed, his eyes widened at the familiar orange cover of the book. Kakashi leaned over him stealthily. "I thought you'd like the first copy since I know you don't own any of the series."

Sasuke seethed quietly. "There's a reason for that."

Hinata walked over placing a plate of cake next to Sasuke. She saw Sasuke holding something in his hands while he shared a heated glare with his sensei. "What did he get you, Sasuke?"

Hearing her timid voice, Sasuke immediately hid the book under his thigh while his face began to heat up. "N-Nothing."

Kakashi smiled. "I just got him a book."

Hinata returned the smile. "Oh, that's nice. Is it…a good book, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi watched in enjoyment as Sasuke's eyes hid behind his bangs. He chuckled lightly. "It's a very good book, Hinata-san."

"That's great." She turned to her husband even though he was looking down at the table intensely. "I'll read it when you're done with it, okay Sasuke?"

Before Sasuke could reply, Kakashi moved to stand next to Hinata with his smile growing by the second. "And once you're done reading it, Hinata-san, you can discuss every chapter with Sasuke."

Hinata beamed happily. "Yes, we should do that!"

"And then," the gray-haired man was having too much fun with this. "You could have even more fun by acting out all…your…favorite…parts." He taunted next to Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke growled knowing that his face was getting as hot as the rest of his body, and it was all because of his wife's innocence. "That's enough, Kakashi. Next present, please."

His former sensei just laughed and went to go sit back down. Sasuke took a few deep breaths to calm himself before reaching for the next present. He was thankful that Hinata didn't say anymore and just went back to serving cake while observing what he received.

Tenten and Lee gave him multiple weapons that each had his name inscribed into the metal. Gai gave Sasuke a bunch of weights for him to train with, Shikamaru got him a shogi game set, he got a case of sake from Kiba, special restoration pills from Shino, and a free babysitting offer from Kurenai, to which both Sasuke and Hinata were very grateful for. Choji and Ino gave him certificates to various restaurants in Konoha for him and Hinata to go to, and hopefully when Kurenai was babysitting.

The present from the Uzumaki family came next.

Naruto practically jumped in his seat as he handed over the wrapped box. By this time, Hinata had come over and stood behind Sasuke with her hands on his shoulders, and Sakura was smiling widely with Akio bouncing in her lap. While Sasuke was unwrapping the present with his typical emotionless mask on, Hinata and Sakura exchanged a knowing glance. Apparently, Hinata knew what her friends had bought for her husband.

"Open if faster, Sasuke!" Naruto cheered happily.

"Relax, loser." He muttered and opened the box peering inside. The first thing to greet him was a load of folded up ramen coupons. _Typical of Naruto. _He glanced at his best friend only to see him wear a gigantic bright smile.

Naruto laughed. "I thought you'd like those! I've been saving them up for a long time!"

Hinata giggled and Sakura smiled apologetically. "Sorry Sasuke-kun. Naruto insisted."

Sasuke was about to comment, but a smaller box, hidden in the mix of ramen coupons, caught his eye. His lifted it out and noticed that it looked like a slightly bigger velvet ring box. He glanced warily at his two former teammates, who were smiling slyly, before lifting open the lid. What he saw made his eyes widen and his lips to twitch into a smile. Slowly, he pulled out a silver chain necklace with a pendant of the Uchiha symbol on it. "Hmm…" he smirked as he studied the pendant.

"Well, Sasuke?" Naruto grabbed his attention.

"Do you like it, Sasuke-kun?"

The black-haired ninja turned to his closest friends and chuckled under his breath. "Thank you."

They both smiled warmly and Sakura winked at Hinata, who smiled sweetly.

After a moment, Sasuke turned to Neji and raised a brow. "What—no present? You just come, eat the cake, and leave?"

Neji snorted and reclined in his chair. "Oh, don't worry. You'll get your present tomorrow when you come with me."

"What are you talking about?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to pay for your tattoo."

"Tattoo?"

"Yeah, you need one."

"I'll get one when I get into ANBU."

"No doubt. But, you're still going to get one since I'm offering to pay."

Sasuke smirked. "If you insist."

"We'll go tomorrow then."

"Whatever…just don't tell Hinata."

"Why?" Neji raised a brow curiously.

"None of your business."

"Right…"

The party continued on and Ino kept herself busy taking pictures left and right. In her opinion, the best pictures were the ones she took when the people didn't know their picture was being taken until the flash went off. By then it was too late. The picture she was most proud of, though, was the one she took when Sasuke and Hinata were in the nursery with a baby in their arms, and them both sharing a loving kiss. It was the perfect family picture, even though Sasuke got angry with her for sneaking up on them. "Sneaking up on them…" Ino mumbled and shook her head. "Some ninjas they are. Then again, they were nearly making out. Poor babies."

* * *

The party had finally ended and the Uchiha family was alone once again. By this time, night had settled in, and Sasuke collapsed back onto his bed in pure exhaustion. His eyes were only closed for a moment before the bedroom door opened and closed. He peeked one eye open and smirked in anticipation at his timid wife. There wasn't a moment when he forgot what Hinata got him for his birthday. And now, he finally was going to see it firsthand.

Hinata leaned against the door and let out a sigh of relief that matched her tired smile. "Riku and Mikoto are changed, fed, and asleep…"

Sasuke's smirk widened and he scooted until he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Seeing his mischievous smirk made Hinata withdraw into herself nervously. A blush appeared on her cheeks at the same time her forefingers poked together. "Um…What is it?"

Sasuke stood and took predatory steps toward his wife not stopping until his arms caged her against the door. He leaned forward until his mouth was above her ear. "Where's my present you promised me?" he breathed.

Hinata gulped. "O-Oh…y-you remembered…"

"Of course I remembered. Let me see it." He brushed his lips along her jaw. "Please?"

She closed her eyes and felt her breathing quicken. "B-But…it's e-embarrassing…"

"Come on, Hina…it's my birthday…"

"Okay…" she sighed in defeat, which allowed Sasuke to release her. Her shoulders slouched as she reached into her wardrobe pulling out a pink clothes box. "W-Wait here…" she murmured and escaped into the connected bathroom with the door locked behind her.

Seeing her disappear, Sasuke exhaled deeply, sat on the bed, and laid his upper body back onto the soft mattress.

An eternity-long ten minutes passed and Sasuke was getting antsy. He sat up straight and narrowed his eyes at the closed bathroom door. "Hinata?" he called.

Her muffled voice answered him only a second later. "O-One minute, please. I just…um…okay…" the door cracked open and she walked through with a long robe covering her up snugly.

Sasuke was slightly disappointed seeing that he couldn't see her newly bought lingerie outfit. Instead, her large, thick robe covered her up.

Hinata could obviously see the disappointment on his face, so she tried to explain. "Um, p-promise you w-won't laugh?"

He quirked a brow in confusion. "Why would I laugh?"

"B-Because…" she averted her gaze bashfully as she fiddled with the hem of her robe sleeve. "It-It's a bit tight because…I gained some weight from the babies, and…it won't look that g-good on me…I…" she let out a breath. "I've never worn anything…like this…before…"

"Hinata," Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "How long have we been together?"

"Um…well…almost a year, I suppose…"

He nodded sternly. "Then do you really think that you gaining a little weight after giving birth to _our _children…is really going to keep me from wanting you as much as I already do?"

"Um," she smiled shyly and her eyes softened. She giggled lightly. "Okay…but," she pointed her finger accusingly at him. "No laughing."

He rolled his eyes. "I promise…Now, strip."

Her face reddened even more and her fingers began to _slowly _undo the knot on her robe.

Sasuke gulped as his eyes followed her movements as if in slow motion. The tie around the robe was no longer in a knot, and her fragile fingers began to slip the robe off her pale shoulders.

The moment that robe dropped to the ground, Sasuke's mouth went utterly dry and fell agape. His fingers twitched at his sides as his eyes roamed the interesting outfit on her body. His onyx eyes trailed up from her legs dressed in fishnet stockings to her black lacey underwear, and lastly to her thin, black corset top, which accentuated her breasts quite nicely in his opinion. As seductive as the whole outfit was, Sasuke knew it must've been the most modest one available. After all, this was Hinata, queen of modesty.

Sasuke also knew that he had seen her without clothes many times, but with these "clothes"…it was completely different. His body was frozen, but he was overloading with an intense amount of heat. He tried to control his arousal, but Hinata's actions weren't helping. She was fiddling with her fingers again and peeking at him through her bangs with that demure blush on her cheeks. She was an angel, but she sure wasn't dressed as one.

"S-Sasuke…?" her soft voice broke him out of his observations making him gulp more audibly. "D-Do…Do I look okay?" she asked biting on her lower lip bashfully.

Within a second, she found herself backed up against the wall with her wrists locked in a vice grip above her head and his body tight against hers. She yelped in surprise and met his eyes, which emanated pure desire. His lips crushed against hers in an instant.

It took Hinata a few seconds to close her eyes and return his kiss, but once she did, it was deepened with passion. He pulled away to gather his breath. "You're keeping this."

She nodded and met his lips again. As the kiss continued, Sasuke released her wrists and lifted her until her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist. Hinata's hands dove into his dark locks and massaged his scalp gently just as his thumbs were caressing her thighs. Their mouths didn't part from each other as Sasuke carried her over to the bed and collapsed onto it. His shirt was removed, and she lay under him with lust-filled eyes mirroring his. Their lips brushed together and their breaths mingled. Hinata reached up to caress his face with her fingers. "A-Are you sure you want to…I-I mean…" her breathing became heavy. "You looked tired before, so…if you want to sleep…"

"Hinata," Sasuke smirked planting kisses along her collarbone. "I'm not tired anymore."

* * *

Sasuke's eyes snapped open at the same time he took in a sharp intake of breath. The sun peeked in through the curtains lighting the room, and he looked down to see his wife sleeping soundly on his bare chest. At this, he let his head fall back onto his pillow and realized that it was just a nightmare. "Shit…" he ran a hand down his face in relief. Itachi wasn't there, he hadn't taken away his wife, Hinata was sleeping on his chest, and his son and daughter were safe. It was all just a nightmare.

In the absolute quiet of the bedroom, Sasuke could faintly hear wailing coming from the nursery. "Damn…" he muttered and gently moved Hinata off of him. Making sure not to wake her, he laid her softly on the bed and wrapped the blanket around her naked form. He left a kiss on her lips before stepping out of the bed. He searched around for his sweatpants passing over the many discarded clothes from the previous night's adventure. Seeing different parts of Hinata's lingerie outfit allowed a prideful smirk to form on his face. _Definitely keeping that. _

After slipping on his sweatpants, he made his way out the door and towards the nursery. When he walked in, he was greeted with the sorrowful sound of his babies crying for attention. He glanced between the cribs taking notice that his son wasn't crying as much as his daughter and he seemed calmer actually. That confirmed it. Sasuke picked Mikoto up first and cradled her in his arms. "Shh…daddy's here, baby girl." He lifted her and neared her diaper to his nose. Immediately his face scrunched and he turned away. He whistled lowly. "This explains why you were crying." He quickly changed her diaper and rocked her until she was calm again. He kissed her forehead and placed her back in her crib before picking up his son. "Let me guess…" he sniffed Riku's diaper and had the same reaction. "Yup, my son, you stink too. More so than your sister." He chuckled as he changed his diaper, which made Riku lightly giggle as well. "That's my boy." He kissed his forehead too and placed him back in the crib. Once he started up their mobiles, he left the room and went into the kitchen to start making tea.

The tea was heated, and he poured it into two cups and disappeared back into his bedroom. After placing the cups on the nightstand, he slid onto the bed and pulled his sleeping wife to his chest with his teeth nibbling on her ear. A giggle alerted him that Hinata was now awake. She rolled over in his arms until she was facing him with a tired smile and droopy eyes. "Good morning…" she murmured and snuggled closer to him.

"Hmm…want some hot tea?" he brushed his lips over her forehead, nose, lips, and chin.

"Okay…"

He chuckled and sat up delivering the tea to his wife. She sat up as well holding the sheet in front of her chest. Hinata sipped at her tea, but before Sasuke could even get a taste, loud cries echoed from the nursery. Sasuke groaned. "I just changed them—what now?"

Hinata giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "They're probably hungry."

"Right. I'll be right back." He grunted and removed himself from the room to go fetch his twins.

When he came back with both babies in his arms, he froze at the doorway when seeing his wife. She was sitting up in bed with the sheet still held in front of her. Her hand was held up in front of her mouth to silence her yawn, and her hair was slightly disheveled. With the sun rays shining on her bare back, there was only one way to describe the angelic Hinata—ethereal. She turned to him with a soft smile and glowing eyes.

In response, he smirked and walked forward with the crying infants in his arms. "Breakfast time."

He sat down next to her, and watched her glance between the two.

"Who's first?" she questioned her babies. Riku wailed louder making both parents laugh lightly. She reached over to take her son in her arms and put him in position to feed. "So impatient…" she muttered as the baby boy began to suckle. "You're too much like your father."

"Hey," he glared jokingly acting like it hurt. Meanwhile, he was busy trying to calm his daughter while she waited to be fed. "I take offense to that. Honestly, when was the last time I was impatient?"

Hinata didn't hesitate to reply. "Last night…" she glanced at him. "We really should've spent those hours sleeping instead of…you know."

Sasuke smirked in male pride. "True, but it was well worth it."

A blush ascended to Hinata's cheeks as she bit down on her lip to restrain her smile.

When Riku was done feeding, Hinata held him away toward her husband. "Will you burp him while I feed Mikoto please?"

Sasuke sighed switching babies with her. "You always make me do that part, and I always get thrown up on." He glared at her. "I think you do that on purpose."

She giggled in reply and began feeding her daughter while Sasuke was patting Riku on the back as he rested his head over his father's shoulder. "I-I think it's fair. I feed them, and you burp them."

Sasuke snorted. "Fair…right."

Hinata pouted her lip at him. "Would you prefer to feed them?"

His upper lip formed into a snarl of disgust. "No, thank you. I'll pass."

With another soft laugh, Hinata reached over to connect her lips with his. Before it could carry to anything more passionate, a wet gurgle sounded followed by Sasuke pulling back looking even more disgusted. He glanced over his shoulder to see white spit up dribbling down his shoulder, and his son looking at his father innocently. "Thanks, son." He was awarded with a giggle.

* * *

Red sharingan eyes rotated lazily in the direction of the Uchiha compound. He wore an emotionless mask, and his body was as still as the lifeless ANBU body lying at his feet. With a bloody kunai in hand, he knelt down next to the unknown ANBU member and wiped the blood off the blade and onto the man's clothes.

When he stood back up again, he narrowed his eyes at the sky while twirling the kunai between his fingers. "It's almost time…little brother."

* * *

Hinata sat on the couch with a cup of tea in her hand as she watched her husband play with their children. Sasuke was on the floor leaning over the twins, who were lying on a blanket staring up at their father with toothless smiles. The sight before her was one that no one besides her have ever seen and will ever see from the normally stoic Uchiha. She almost couldn't retain her giggles when watching them.

The dark-haired man was laughing lightly as he bent down blowing kisses on their bare bellies. Each time he blew on their stomachs, they would erupt into giggles and unguarded laughter. Their tiny hands would reach up and fist into his hair in an attempt to push their father away from tickling them. Of course, this only made Sasuke chuckle in amusement.

Unfortunately, their happy family moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. As Hinata passed by Sasuke to go open the door, she noticed that he sat up straighter and replaced his mask of indifference. She was easily disappointed to see her husband's carefree side disappear in a matter of seconds. Although, her small frown left from her face when she saw who was at the door to their home. With a wide smile, she lunged forward to embrace the calm man. "Neji-kun!"

He smirked softly as he returned the embrace. "Good morning, Hinata."

She pulled back and dragged him into her home. "What are you doing here, Neji-kun?"

He faced Sasuke, who was staring up at him with a small glare. "Let's go get that present of yours, Uchiha."

Sasuke raised a brow and smirked. "Right." He stood and approached his wife. "I'll be right back. Are you going to be alright here alone?"

Hinata smiled. "Of course. W-Where are you going?"

Both men smirked mischievously. "You'll see." He bent down to give her a chaste kiss before leaving the house with his cousin-in-law in tow.

* * *

_One Week Later…_

Sasuke walked back into the living room and collapsed onto the couch next to his wife. He rested his head back against the cushions, and sighed with his eyes closed. "They're asleep."

Hinata smiled and snuggled against his side while her fingers leaned up to stroke his upper arm. "Thank you." She murmured as her eyes followed the movements of her fingers. One finger traced the outline of his new tattoo, which had already healed nicely. The pattern in which she traced was the names of his family. Hinata's name, along with Riku's and Mikoto's, was etched into his skin in Kanji. Their names circled around another kanji in the middle, which meant "family". All of this was written over a lightly colored background of the Uchiha symbol.

To be honest, Hinata was surprised at the tattoo he got. She half expected him to get either just his clan symbol or something else considered manly. Seeing it made her smile and feel a great amount of pride for her husband. Even if he didn't speak of his love for his family often, he expressed it with his actions, gazes, and secret smiles. All of this she saw, appreciated, and reciprocated as much as she could until he knew without a doubt that his family loved him more than he could imagine.

With a loving smile, she moved to kiss his arm tenderly.

In response, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her down with him until they were lying down on the comfort of the couch. Her back was pulled against his chest as he held her protectively. He rested his head in the crevice of her neck and inhaled with his eyes closed. "How many hours do you think we can sleep before the twins wake us up again?"

Hinata leaned back into him and caressed his hands, which were crossed in front of her stomach. "Four if we're lucky."

He exhaled sleepily. "Let's shoot for four then."

"Okay…"

Suddenly, the door slammed open followed by a loud voice. "Hey Sasuke! Where are you, man?"

Both their eyes snapped open and turned to the blonde standing in their doorway. Sasuke groaned audibly.

Hearing the familiar annoyed sound, Naruto turned to see the couple on the couch. Seeing their close embrace, he rubbed the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "Oh, so, you guys…uh…heh-heh…sorry."

"What did you do now, Naruto?" Sakura came in after him with Akio balanced on her hip. She glanced around seeing what her husband was staring at, and immediately used her free hand to smack him upside the head. "You idiot! Have I taught you nothing about knocking on doors _before _you enter?!"

Naruto whined as he rubbed the place that she hit. "Aw, Sakura-chan! That hurt!"

"Lower your voice or I'll hit you harder!"

"Will the both of you shut up before you wake my kids." Sasuke interjected angrily now that he and Hinata were both standing up.

Instantly, they looked at him apologetically. They both murmured apologies before Naruto cheerily spoke up again. "Hey Sasuke, let's go train."

The male Uchiha raised a brow. "Train? I'm busy, Naruto."

"Oh yeah? Doing what?"

"Trying to get some sleep."

"Ah, you don't need to take a nap. Or, you can always just take one after we're done training!"

Sasuke only gazed at Naruto with a scowl, but he was contemplating the issue in his mind. He really wanted to get some sleep, but he also wanted to train since he hadn't done so since before the twins were born.

Luckily, it was Hinata who decided for him. With a tug on his shirt, she managed to get him to look at her attentively. She smiled with encouragement. "Go ahead, Sasuke. Y-You need to get out of the house anyway."

His eyes narrowed, and he spoke in a whisper. "What about you?"

"I'll stay here and watch the twins."

"But—"

Naruto jumped over and started pushing Sasuke towards the door. "You heard her, Sasuke! Plus, Sakura-chan is staying, so it's not like you have anything to worry about! Now, let's go!"

"Alright, alright! I'm going. Stop pushing me, you idiot."

Right before their eyes, Sakura and Hinata watched their men leave through the door. After Sakura shut the door, she smiled over at her timid friend. "Now that the boys are gone, let's pig out on chocolate."

Hinata laughed and turned toward the kitchen. "Okay. Sasuke just bought some more, and they're different kinds too."

"Awesome! Let's go gain some unneeded weight, Hina-chan!" the pink-haired nin paused with a short laugh. "Of course, we'll work it off later…"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

Both men hunched over with their hands resting on their knees and their breathing labored from their vicious sparring. Naruto laughed as he tried to stabilize his breathing. "Heh…aren't you glad I dragged you to train with me? I can tell you totally needed this!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted and straightened himself. "It was somewhat useful."

"Somewhat?" The blonde retorted in offense. "I so tired you out big time! You must be more out of shape than I thought."

"Shut it, loser."

"What did you say!" Naruto stalked toward him until they were only a foot away. "I'll beat you again just so you know who's better!" He raised his fist to slug his best friend, but halted when his impeccable sense of smell caught the scent of something. He sniffed into the air curiously, and plugged his nose with his fingers. "Damn, Sasuke, you stink!"

The Uchiha sniffed himself, and turned to glare at the blonde. "What? No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do. Can't you smell how rancid—"

"It's not me, you idiot!"

"You smell like a rotting corpse."

Sasuke growled in annoyance. "It's probably just a dead animal nearby."

"Yeah, right…" Naruto grumbled and sniffed the air some more to find out where the smell derived from. Shockingly, he found out that the smell wasn't coming from his best friend, but from somewhere behind Sasuke. Naruto blinked a few times before walking passed Sasuke and toward some large bushes a few feet away. With each step he made, the smell grew and almost made him want to throw up. Only a foot from the bushes, he turned back to face Sasuke. "So…dead animal, huh?"

The sharingan-wielder crossed his arms over his chest and stared with boredom at the future hokage. "Either that or a pile of shit. Take your pick."

Naruto childishly stuck his tongue out, and knelt near the bushes.

Sasuke watched with mild curiosity as Naruto separated the bushes enough for him to walk through…only for him to stop abruptly and his entire body to freeze up. That was cue enough for Sasuke that his friend found the source of the smell. "Well, idiot? What is it?"

Naruto slowly turned to face Sasuke, and his eyes were wide, his mouth agape, and he looked completely horrified.

This made Sasuke take a step back in surprise. "What?"

Naruto gulped nervously and turned back to looking at the ground in front of him. "Come look."

With a raised brow, Sasuke took the few steps until he was standing next to Naruto and staring at what was so terrifying. Seeing it, Sasuke's own face began to mirror his friend's. "What…the…hell?"

A mob of flies swarmed around the pile of dead bodies, whose faces were all covered by familiar ANBU masks. Small wounds were seen around different vital parts of their bodies signifying that each ANBU member went through a rather quick death. As merciful as that may sound, it didn't detract the two men from knowing how dire the situation was now. Someone was out killing off the ANBU, and within Sasuke's mind, he knew who it was.

Naruto covered his mouth and nose with his hand and turned around. "I'm gonna go find Granny Tsunade. I'll be right back."

Sasuke didn't watch his friend run off since his eyes only stayed on the dead bodies lying at his feet. His suspicion of who the killer was could only be confirmed if he saw the faces. So, he knelt down next to the nearest body and used one hand to cover his mouth and nose to keep the rank smell away. With his free hand, he reached forward and slowly removed the ceramic mask hiding the identity of the unknown ANBU. When the mask fell to the ground, a deep scowl formed onto the Uchiha's face. The anonymous man's eyes were frozen wide, and his mouth was open in a silent scream. His whole face was a look of pure terror…one in which Sasuke recognized immediately.

"Shit." Sasuke was about to stand back up again, but something whizzed passed him and dug into the lifeless man before him. His sharingan was activated and he scanned his surroundings only to find out that no presence was there, nor any type of chakra signature. Carefully, he gazed at the kunai sticking out of the ANBU's chest. Attached to the kunai just happened to be a note. Recognizing the familiar handwriting, Sasuke tore the note away from the kunai and read it thoroughly.

_You let you guard down, foolish little brother. Now, your family is mine._

There was no name to say who had written it, but then again, Sasuke didn't need that knowledge. He already knew who had sent it, and his wife and kids flashed through his mind in a panic. "No…" He had to get back home before Itachi tried anything. He stood up fluidly and crunched the note in his hand. Just before he was ready sprint off, he turned to look at the note seeing that he didn't notice something about it that was vitally important.

On the back of the note was the exact pattern of an exploding note. Sasuke's eyes widened as a corner of the small piece of paper began to strike into a flame. In one exhale of breath, Sasuke released the note to the ground, and jumped away as fast as he could. Barely a second later, the note exploded destroying everything in its path.

* * *

Sasuke ran and ran until everything around him was passing by him in a blur. He did not take notice of the trees, the other ninjas training in the grounds below him, or even his friends calling out to him as he ran passed them down the street. The only thing in his line of sight was his home and his family inside.

He pushed the Uchiha gate open, and sped up towards his home. Luckily, this time there wasn't any smoke emitting from the door and windows. However, the door was open and he could faintly hear the wailing sounds of his babies. "No, damn it!" he transferred chakra into his legs and feet and sped up even more until he was at his front door.

With a harsh push, the door flew open and the heavily breathing Sasuke took in the sight before him. The first thing he saw was the blood-red eyes of his brother. "Itachi,"

Said man turned to face his younger brother with a small smirk. "Sasuke…it's been awhile since we've seen each other, hasn't it?"

Sasuke's fists clenched at his sides, and he was seething in fury. "Five years."

"Mmm…" Itachi's eyes narrowed mockingly. "Five years since your last failure. Are you going to fail again this time?"

"No." he ground through his gritted teeth. "You'll die…"

A small voice called out to him. "Sasuke…"

His scowl softened as he snapped his attention to the fragile form of his wife on the floor near the couch. "Hinata…"

Her bottom lip was trembling, there were tear streaks on her face, and she was cradling the twins to her chest protectively. She was trying to shush the twins while protecting them at the same time. And the twins weren't the only ones Hinata was trying to protect. Behind her was the unconscious body of Sakura, and Akio sitting up near his mother with tears flowing down his sorrowful cheeks. To him, his wife looked on the edge of being broken. "S-Sasuke…"

He stepped closer to her, while at the same time keeping his brother in his sight. "Hinata, are you alright? Did he touch you?" the last question came out as a growl.

She closed her eyes shut and shook her head sadly. "N-No, he h-hasn't t-touched us…but…" she looked behind her at her closest friend.

"Sakura…" he now noticed how hurt his teammate must've been. She was unconscious, but he could definitely see her face distorted into pain. "What happened?"

This time, Itachi answered. "Imagine my surprise when I came here only to find out that your family wasn't alone. That teammate of yours lasted longer than I thought she would. I assumed she'd be down after one hit, but I was wrong." He smirked demonically. "It took two hits."

Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai.

Itachi resisted the urge to chuckle. "Relax, little brother." He turned away from him and began walking towards Hinata, who had tensed shakily at seeing him coming closer. "I only want to see my sister-in-law and my—" he stopped when Sasuke's kunai flew before him and stabbing into the wall next to the older Uchiha. With a raised brow, Itachi faced his younger brother, who had his arm outstretched from throwing the kunai.

Sasuke's jaw clenched and his sharingan spun dangerously. "You stay the hell away from her!" Quickly, his hands began to form different hand signs for his jutsu.

Itachi only smirked and disappeared into a cloud of smoke before Sasuke could even complete the hand signs. Sasuke searched the room and finally landed on the open front door. Without hesitance, he ran outside seeing his brother disappear into the green foliage of the surrounding forest. "Itachi!" he yelled and followed him into the dense trees.

* * *

**Okay. I'm going to stop it there. I know, cliffhanger. But, don't worry. I'll be done with finals after this week, which means that I'll have a lot more time to focus on writing my stories. Please Review!**


	15. Departure

**Author Note: **Thank you for the reviews! Just to let you know, this story is nearing its end soon. It'll probably end before chapter 20, but I'm not too sure. That's just an estimate. Anyway, thanks for the support!

_**Merry Christmas! Next update will be afterwards, so I'll see you guys then!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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* * *

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Departure 

Tsunade entered the training grounds with Naruto in the lead. Before they even took another step, they halted and stared at the destruction that lay before them. "What the hell happened here?" the blonde hokage gaped at the sight.

"What the…" Naruto looked around seeing the trees almost falling over, the bushes burnt to the ground, and the ground itself worn down a few inches lower than normal. There was no greenery, only burnt area. "It looks like something exploded."

"Hmm…" she stepped on a piece of grass extinguishing a small flame. "Is this Sasuke's handiwork?"

Naruto furrowed his brows. "I don't know, but…" he led Tsunade over to the spot behind some bushes where he found the pile of dead bodies.

What they saw instead was the bodies smelling of burnt flesh. And they weren't in a pile anymore. The explosion sent the bodies flying a few feet from each other with every part of their bodies charred. Tsunade sighed heavily. "Oh my God…what the hell happened? Who killed them? Those are ANBU black ops—the best of Konoha—and they look like they were slaughtered!"

Naruto scanned the area. "Where's Sasuke? He was here a minute ago!"

Choji and Ino along with Kiba and Shino were behind the hokage and hyperactive ninja. Choji stepped forward. "It's possible that he might've gotten into a fight. At least, that's what it looks like."

"Yeah, but with who?" Kiba questioned accompanied by a bark from the large canine next to him.

Naruto's hands clenched at his sides and he faced Tsunade with deadly serious eyes. "You don't think it was Itachi, do you?"

Tsunade's lips tightened into a thin line. "I wouldn't doubt it. But if that's the case, where are they now?"

All at once, everyone's eyes widened as they all came to one conclusion. Without even having to say a thing, they all darted off into the foliage of the forest.

* * *

_Sasuke…_Hinata inhaled and exhaled shaky breaths as she laid the twins on the floor near Akio, who was crying as much as they were. Scooting closer to Sakura, Hinata placed her hands over the small wounds on her friend's unconscious body. Even still, tears ran down Hinata's red cheeks despite how much she tried to calm herself. Her hands glowed as she healed Sakura's scrapes, bruises, and gashes. She lastly laid her glowing hand atop her pink-haired friend's head. "Sakura-chan…"

Hinata continued healing for another few minutes before she saw Sakura's eyelids twitching to open. Slowly, her eyelids parted revealing dull green eyes.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, please wake up…please…"

Sakura's eyes opened all the way and settled on Hinata's blurry form. She opened her mouth to speak, but it came out hoarsely. "Hi-Hina-chan?"

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief and backed away for the other girl to sit up. With her help, Sakura was able to sit up straight and lean her sore back against the couch. "Sakura-chan…are you okay?"

Sakura groaned and blearily glanced at the babies crying and her own child crying for her attention. She weakly reached her arms out to bring the boy into her lap. Akio immediately began to quiet and grasped onto his mother desperately. "I-I'm okay…I think. Itachi…where is he? Where did he go?"

Hinata bit her lip and edged over to hold her children again. "S-Sasuke came and…and he…he…"

"He chased after him, didn't he?" Sakura groaned at seeing her friend nod and clutch the babies closer to her chest.

Hinata gazed intensely at Sakura with a hidden purpose. "Sakura-chan, I need to go after him. I need to make sure Sasuke is okay. I have to—"

"No, Hina-chan." Sakura shook her head and stared sternly at the timid woman. "You have to stay here. You can't leave the twins alone."

"I-I wasn't going to…I…I was hoping they could stay…with you."

"No. You cannot go after him no matter what." She paused seeing the conflict in Hinata's eyes. "Hina-chan, Itachi Uchiha isn't like any normal enemy out there—"

"I know—"

"Then don't go after him. Sasuke-kun is trying to protect his family. He can't do that if you're there fighting along with him!"

"I can't let him do it alone, Sakura-chan…" she sniffled and bit back a sob. "I don't want him to…get hurt…or die…I…"

Sakura leaned forward to rest a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I know it's hard, but…for Sasuke-kun's sake, I can't let you go after him."

Hinata closed her eyes in defeat and whispered. "Then what do I do to help Sasuke…?"

Sakura opened and closed her mouth a few times before exhaling deeply. "I don't know…Just as long as you're safe…"

* * *

Sasuke's sharingan-activated eyes spun faster and faster without ever glancing away from the target way ahead of him. His eyes never strayed once from the black cloak with red clouds. Each time his older brother's figure would begin to disappear from his view, Sasuke pushed chakra into his legs and sped up to keep him in sight. "Itachi!" he yelled jumping off another tree branch.

The two brothers were getting closer and closer to the Konoha walls, and Sasuke had to keep Itachi from escaping. He had to kill him now or else he would just keep coming back until he claimed his prize—Sasuke's family. _No…I won't let that happen! _He pulled out a kunai and thrust it in front of him aiming to slow down his brother. However, the kunai never impacted since Itachi disappeared once again.

Eyes widening, Sasuke jumped faster until he landed in an open clearing near the edge of the village. Scanning around quickly, he tried to detect Itachi's chakra signature. _Where is he?_

"Looking for me, little brother?"

Sasuke spun around and sharingan met sharingan. They each stood at opposite ends of the clearing with one scowling hatefully and the other looking completely indifferent. "Itachi…" Sasuke spat the name as if it was toxic to his tongue.

The older Uchiha merely tilted his head and raised a curious brow. "Well? What are you waiting for, Sasuke? An invitation?"

"Hell no!" Sasuke charged.

* * *

The door slammed open and Naruto ran through entering into the living room of the Uchiha house. His eyes searched the room frantically until he spotted his family and his best friend's family sitting on the floor near each other. The two women gazed up at him hopefully, and only one of the women was satisfied with who entered. Hinata put on a small smile while Sakura's face brightened considerably. "Naruto…!"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran to her and pulled both his wife and son into a tight embrace. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt? What happened? Where's Sasuke? Was that bastard Itachi here too?"

"Calm down, Naruto." Sakura scolded. "We're all okay. I was hurt, but Hina-chan healed me, so—"

"You were hurt?" his eyes flashed to red before returning to his normal blue eyes. "Who hurt you? Tell me and I'll kill him!"

Hinata turned to face the doorway as she watched the hokage come in with the others filing in behind her. Tsunade jogged to the small huddled group on the floor and checked each of them over for injuries. Kiba and Shino also ran to Hinata's side to make sure she and the twins were all right. Choji and Ino stood by the door glancing around the living room for any sign of a threat.

"Are you okay, Hinata-chan?" Kiba worried and Akamaru curled himself around the girl and the twins.

Shino knelt next to her with his eyebrows lowered. "Are you hurt?"

Hinata shook her head. "I-I'm okay…"

Sakura tried to calm her husband from going into a frenzy. "Relax, Naruto. We're fine. Itachi came to try to take away Hina-chan, so I tried to fight him off, but…" she spoke bitterly. "I obviously wasn't enough to take him."

"Then what happened? Where's Sasuke?" the young blonde persisted.

Hinata softly answered. "He came to protect us…and…" She looked to everyone in the room with a desperately pleading expression. "He went after Itachi. He chased him into the forest. We have to go after him! We—We have to help him!"

"Shh—Hina-chan," Tsunade stroked her hair soothingly. "You need to calm down, okay? I know this is hard for you—"

"Please," she grasped onto Tsunade's sleeve. "We have to help Sasuke…please…"

Tsunade frowned and turned to meet Naruto's determined gaze. He nodded to her and stood up stiffly. The hokage sighed before taking on a professional facial cast. "Okay. Naruto, take Kiba, Shino, and Choji with you to go find both the Uchihas." They nodded. "Go now and try to catch up to them!"

With one more nod, they practically flew out of the door and into the forest leaving the women in the living room.

Ino came over to sit next to Sakura to help pacify both her close friends.

"Ino," Tsunade faced her with that same stern expression.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Stay with them for a minute." She ordered and stalked toward the phone. She picked it up without hesitation and dialed quickly. She waited only a few seconds before a deep voice answered.

"_Yes?"_

"Neji, this is Tsunade." She spoke with urgency.

"_Hokage-sama? What is it?"_

"I'm here at the Uchiha manor, and—"

"_Uchiha? What happened? Where's Hinata? Is she alright?"_

"She's not hurt, but I think you should come over. She'd feel more comfortable if you were here, I think."

"_I'm on my way."_

"Wait, Neji!"

"_Yes, hokage-sama?" _He sounded irritated and anxious to leave.

"If you can, get a hold of your teammates and tell them to head to the forest and meet up with Naruto's team. Itachi Uchiha came to try to take Hina-chan, but Sasuke intervened and he's now chasing him in the forest. I sent Naruto and a few others to go assist, but if your teammates are there, that'd be more helpful."

"_I understand. I'll do that and be right over."_

"Good. Get going." She hung up the phone and walked back over to the other women.

* * *

Sasuke skidded on his heels until his back slammed harshly against a tree, which resulted in the air getting knocked out of his lungs. He gasped at the pain and knelt on the ground breathing heavily. His hand was shaking at his side and was bleeding from the overuse of the chidori.

"Foolish little brother…" Itachi said each word mockingly. "Haven't you realized by now that that technique won't work on me."

"Heh," Sasuke spit some of his blood out onto the ground and smirked. "I'm just getting started."

"Is that so?" Itachi stood looking as uncaring as ever while Sasuke stood up using the back of his hand to wipe the blood off of his mouth.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes while internally wishing he had brought his katana along. _It doesn't matter anymore. I can't let him go anywhere near Hinata or the babies. _He spun a kunai between his fingers before charging in once again. Itachi pulled out a kunai as well and the two began to battle. To any spectators, it would be like watching two blurs since they were moving so fast. The only sounds were the clinks of the metal daggers hitting together.

Their kunais met and the blades pushed together while the two Uchihas glared at each other…well, Sasuke glared. Itachi continued to remain unfazed. However, his mouth did start to curve into a smirk. "You cannot kill me, Sasuke." He taunted. "I will kill you, and I will take your family. Your children will grow up not knowing their real father, and how weak he was. Your wife, the sweet little Hinata, will forget you over time and only see me."

Sasuke growled. "Don't be so arrogant as to think that Hinata will ever transfer her love over to you."

Itachi's smirk widened. "Who said I wanted her love? I just want her to birth more hybrids," he lowered his voice to a threatening whisper. "With _my_ genes of course."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the insinuation.

Itachi narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Yes, I'll let her know the real difference between you and I. She will be screaming my name sooner than you think."

"Enough!" Sasuke pushed his brother back. As he watched the older Uchiha stare at him from across the clearing, he could feel his own rage swarm his body and for the moment, all he saw was red.

In a burst of strength and speed, Sasuke charged one final time at Itachi with no other intention but to kill him.

With his kunai in hand and his brother standing still only a foot in front of him, Sasuke transferred a part of his chidori into the kunai blade and thrust forward with every ounce of strength he had.

The blue lightning faded from the blade the moment it became embedded into Itachi's chest. But, neither of the brothers was looking at the wound. They were still in the same position as they were when Sasuke attacked. The younger brother's hand was still clasped onto the hilt of the blade, his eyes staring passed Itachi's shoulder, and his free hand restricting the other's arm. Itachi, too, was staring over Sasuke's opposite shoulder with his arms hanging loosely at his sides, and his smirk still in place. The bloody embedded kunai knife was the only object separating their bodies.

Sasuke felt pure victory, but it was skeptical. It was Itachi's words that broke the short silence. With Itachi's mouth near Sasuke's ear, he murmured. "If you want to protect your family, you have no choice but to kill me. And the only way you can kill me is if you find me first."

Sasuke tensed as he continued to stare unblinkingly.

"I'm not in Konoha, little brother."

The younger Uchiha felt like he was going into shock. "What…?"

Itachi chuckled. "I was in Konoha a week ago, but now I'm just very near it…on the outside. I won't stay there for long though. Your family is in danger as long as I'm alive."

Sasuke hurriedly backed away from his "brother" as if he was on fire. His horror-stricken eyes continued to watch his impaled brother only to finally notice that his wound wasn't bleeding like it should.

With a smirk, Itachi continued. "So, Sasuke…What will you do now?" All at once, his body disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Sasuke watched this and gritted his teeth in anger. "A clone? Damn it!" He growled audibly and pounded his fist into a nearby tree. "Damn it!"

"Sasuke!" A familiarly loud voice called to him followed by six shinobi entering the clearing. Once they landed on the ground, each of them was brandishing a weapon and scanned the clearing for any sign of Itachi Uchiha. Naruto ran up to his friend's side noticing the cuts on his body. "Hey! What happened? Where is he?"

Sasuke was scowling at the ground with his fists shaking in inward anger. "It wasn't him." His jaw tightened and his sharingan blazed in fury. "It was a fucking clone!"

"What? You can't be serious! Then where the hell is he?"

The dark-haired man only shook his head and tried to calm his growing rage. After exhaling a long breath, he turned to face Naruto and the others. "What are all of you doing here?"

Naruto stood closest to him with Shino and Kiba behind him, and Choji on the opposite side of Tenten and Lee. It was Shino who answered his question. "Naruto showed us where the dead ANBU were. We then ran to your house assuming that it'd be where you disappeared to. When we got there, you and Itachi Uchiha were no where in sight, so we attended to Hinata-chan, Sakura-san, and the children."

Sasuke's head shot upward at the name. "Hinata…" Before any of them could ask, he had started to run from the clearing and back toward his home.

Naruto groaned as he disappeared after his best friend. "Damn, I can't believe we missed the fight!"

Behind him, the others sighed with frustration and sluggishly followed.

* * *

Sasuke pushed open the front door and came to a halt in the living room. He looked around quickly taking notice that Sakura, Ino, and Tsunade were sitting on the couch with Akio on his female teammate's lap. But there was no Hinata.

Knowing whom he was searching for, Tsunade pointed a thumb to the hallway behind her. "Hinata-chan is in the nursery trying to…" she watched as he bolted down the hallway not even waiting for her to finish. She sighed and waited until the others came running through the door as well.

Gently and quietly, Sasuke opened the nursery door and gazed inside the baby room. He paused in the doorway and gazed at the scene in front of him. His twins were sound asleep in their cribs, and in the middle of the room stood Neji with his arms wrapped around Hinata, who was resting her head on his shoulder and returning the embrace in grief. Neji was currently whispering soothing words into Hinata's ear as he rubbed her back trying to keep her calm. Only then did Neji lift his head taking notice of the Uchiha. They stared blankly at each other for a minute before Neji backed away from Hinata and motioned to the doorway.

Hinata looked confusedly at her cousin before following his gaze to Sasuke. Relief passed over her in waves. "Sasuke…" she walked over quickly and hugged him tightly.

Sasuke didn't hesitate to return her hug with an obvious sense of protection. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent, as he does so often. "Hinata,"

Neji watched the couple for a second before leaving the room and closing the door behind him to allow them privacy.

Hinata released from the embrace, but kept her arms around him. Sasuke gazed at her forlorn face and noticed how red and puffy her eyes were, a sign of her recent crying. He lifted his hands up to hold her face and caress her cheeks with his thumbs.

Hinata gulped before speaking. "Are you…"

He nodded. "I'm fine."

"Is…Is _he _gone?"

He averted his gaze and shook his head. "It turned out that it was just a clone. But…he's still around on the outskirts of Konoha."

She closed her eyes firmly and rested her forehead against his chest.

"He's still out there…waiting." Sasuke muttered just above a whisper. _And the only way Hinata, Riku, and Mikoto will be safe is if I kill him. _His solemn eyes trailed over to his sleeping children. _And that means I have to track him down…find him…_

Hinata sniffled. "What now?"

Sasuke tightened his grip on his wife. _I have to kill him once and for all.

* * *

_

Sasuke didn't sleep for more than an hour that night. For that one hour, Hinata hadn't left the protective grip of his arms, and he had no want to let her go. After waking up to the darkness of the night, he realized he wasn't going to get any sleep at all. Therefore, he got out of bed and walked into the living room to sit on the couch.

Only once during that time did the twins wake up to be changed and fed. Not wanting to wake up Hinata, he changed them and fed them with a few extra bottles in the fridge. He rocked them to sleep and went to sit down on the couch once again.

His back was hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers entwined in front of his mouth. His body appeared to be a statue, as it didn't move whatsoever except for the rising and falling of his chest. Despite his motionless appearance, his mind was anything but still. His thoughts were running rapid, and he was weighing the different options he had and what scenarios would be more effective. It was true that he had a huge problem on his hands, and it had to be dealt with before it was taken out of his hands. But, what to do?

Sasuke knew—no—has always known what had to be done, but he had hoped there could be other solutions, ones in which didn't entail him having to… Sasuke shook his head of the thought and rubbed his temples trying to diminish the starting of a headache. _This is more agonizing than I imagined.

* * *

_

The light poured into the room and illuminated the sleeping body lying underneath the sheets on the large bed. Blinking at the invasion of morning light, Hinata opened her eyes fully and stretched her limbs to assist in the waking up process. Her arms stretched outward, and she tiredly looked to her side only to notice that her husband wasn't next to her anymore. _He's already up? _

She yawned as she sat up in bed, and threw the covers off of her body so she could step onto the cold wooden floor. She shivered and straightened out her nightgown while taming the disheveled locks of her hair. With another yawn, she trudged out of the bedroom and entered into the hallway. The house seemed completely silent making her wonder if Sasuke had gone off to train.

She peeked into the living room seeing that he wasn't there, and proceeded to the kitchen noticing that he wasn't there either. "Hm…"

Pretty soon, she found herself back in the hallway and stopped at the ajar door to the nursery. Only breathing could be heard from the inside, but she entered anyway. Sure enough, there was Sasuke sitting in the rocking chair gazing intently at the sleeping babies in their cribs. She slowly edged into the room and smiled softly to her husband. "Sasuke?"

He looked up at the voice and met her warm eyes and sleepy smile.

"Good morning. Do you want some breakfast?" she asked walking closer to him and placing a kiss on his cheek.

He gave her a half-smile and turned back to facing the twins. "Hn. I made some tea if you want any."

"Okay. I'll get started on making breakfast." She walked back toward the door, but turned around before she left. With another smile, she spoke. "I'll call you when it's ready, okay?"

He nodded and watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. _How can she be so calm about all of this? She acts as though my brother never tried to steal her away. Although…she's only acting like that because she doesn't want to worry anyone. _He sighed. _That's Hinata…But…I only hope she can still act like that when she finds out what I have to do._

Knowing this, Sasuke came to the painful realization that this would be his last day in Konoha…and the last time he would be with his family for who knows how long.

* * *

The day was passing by both slowly and quickly. Sasuke had been strangely quiet and would only speak when spoken to. Even then, he spoke one-word answers. Hinata noticed all of this, and it gave her a frightening sense of foreboding. Despite her inner fear, she wore her smile and focused on her children instead. If Sasuke wanted to say something, she would wait until he was ready to say it. That was the kind of relationship they had, and Sasuke sometimes expressed how much he appreciated it, albeit silently with only glances.

As for Sasuke, he spent the entire day memorizing every detail of his family and the way they interacted. Everything Hinata did wouldn't escape his eyes. He memorized the way she laughed when she played with the twins, and the loving smile she gave them when they giggled in return. He knew without a doubt that they shared the same love for their children. Since the moment he saw his babies, he knew he would willingly lay down his life for them without a thought. They were precious treasures in his eyes, and he had been surprised by how easily he loved them when only seeing them for the first time.

It would be painful not seeing them everyday, but he would bear it if he knew they were safe.

In those moments when the twins were asleep, Hinata and Sasuke would eat in solitude, which had become uncomfortable suddenly. Sasuke would be deep in thought and wouldn't notice, but Hinata noticed all too easily. She would glance at him out of the corner of her eye seeing his pensive expression and immediately feel the worry eat at her insides. She wanted so badly to ask him what was bothering him, but a part of her already knew and that terrified her more.

When the night was settling in and the couple had just finished dinner while the twins were slumbering quietly, Hinata was seen washing the dishes at the kitchen sink with Sasuke watching her from the kitchen entryway. He leaned his back against the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. Every movement Hinata made he watched with care.

He averted his eyes for a second and straightened. He cleared his throat and turned away from watching his wife. "Are you coming to bed?" he asked.

Hinata stopped washing and turned halfway around to face him even though he was looking the other way. "Yes…but I'm going to finish washing first." She turned back to washing the dishes. "I'll be there in a minute."

Sasuke nodded and walked to their bedroom in silence closing the door behind him.

Hinata finished the dishes and yawned as she walked toward the bedroom. She checked to make sure the twins were still asleep before entering their bedroom. Sasuke was already in his sweatpants when she entered and he was currently pulling back the blankets on the bed. Hinata walked passed him and opened a drawer to their dresser looking for a pair of pajamas to put on. She was startled slightly when she heard the door close firmly. Her eyes shot to the door where she saw Sasuke standing in front of it staring at her with an intense unreadable expression. She tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "Sasuke…?"

His own eyes remained unreadable as he slowly walked towards her and only stopped when there was barely an inch between their bodies.

Hinata ignored her pajamas and faced Sasuke completely with confusion written so obviously in her eyes. "Is there something—" she stopped when his hand cupped her cheek tenderly.

With his hand still on her cheek, Sasuke leaned forward and captured her lips softly. He could sense her surprise, but it went away as he deepened the kiss further. One of his hands fisted into her hair while the other one wrapped around her waist keeping her body tight against his.

To Hinata's knowledge, Sasuke had been rough with her before, but it was nothing like this. He kissed her feverishly and didn't waste any time in laying her down on the bed with his body towering over hers. In the time they parted lips, he had removed both his shirt and hers. Their lips connected again, and he immediately began removing the remainder of their clothing with Hinata's help.

The Uchiha matriarch didn't question her husband since she could feel the desperation in his touches. He was both gentle and loving as well as rough and smoldering—an intoxicating combination.

With every kiss, touch, and breath against her skin, Hinata was slowly beginning to think that maybe everything was actually okay, and there was nothing foreboding about her husband's behavior.

* * *

It was well into the night and everyone in the Uchiha household was asleep except for Sasuke. In his protective arms, he held his sleeping and naked wife, whose peaceful face was resting against his bare chest with a clearly satisfied smile gracing her lips.

Sasuke's facial cast seemed expressionless, but his eyes emanated a mixture of emotions. His abysmal black eyes gazed at every detail of his wife's face. His fingers glided smoothly over the surface of her velvety skin. He traced her jaw-line and occasionally brushed his lips over her slightly parted mouth. "Hinata…" he whispered as he stroked her skin lovingly. "Forgive me."

He inhaled deeply before removing himself from the bed and dressing quickly. Making sure not to wake his Hinata up, he packed his bag lightly, checked to ensure he had all the weapons he needed including his katana, and then left the room with the door closing behind him. After setting his belongings by the front door, he made his way into the nursery and stood before the two cribs.

He saw his daughter sleeping soundly, but when he saw his son, he couldn't hide his low chuckle. Riku was laying on his back with his arms and legs kicking up in the air, and his observant gray eyes looking around him in intrigue. Sasuke shook his head with a smile and bent over to retrieve his son from his crib.

Riku made quiet noises as Sasuke sat down in the rocking chair cradling his firstborn in his arms. "What are you doing awake, son?" he murmured just above a whisper. "You should be asleep like your sister."

Riku just stared up at his father with wide curious eyes.

Sasuke reached down to allow his son to wrap his hand around one of his own fingers. It amazed him how tiny his baby's hand was, and made him proud to feel how strongly his finger was being gripped. "Riku…" Sasuke started. "I need you to do me a favor while I'm gone."

The young baby cooed and blinked once.

Sasuke's smile saddened. "Take care of your mother. She's strong, but she's going to need you a lot more pretty soon. While I'm gone, you're going to become the man of the house, and I need you to protect your family, including your sister…" He paused. "Especially your sister. I don't want that Akio kid making any passes at her. You keep her pure and innocent, okay? If you need any pointers, you can always ask Neji. He seems to know perfectly how to be overprotective."

Riku giggled and sucked on his small thumb.

Sasuke stood up to go place Riku back into his designated crib. When the baby was lying down again, Sasuke activated his sharingan and stared directly into his son's eyes. Gray met red, and the baby's eyes closed in sleep after watching Sasuke's pupils rotate purposefully. "Forgive me. Take care of our family and be strong." He backed away and leaned over his daughter's crib to stroke her thin hair. "Never change, Mikoto. I'll always…love…you two." He gave her a delicate kiss against her brow and left the room as silently as he came.

Hinata slid down the wall of her bedroom with the ajar door next to her. She had heard everything, and tears welled up in her eyes as a result. _He…He's leaving…? No…Sasuke…_She gasped when she heard the front door opening and closing signaling his departure. With wide eyes, she shot up onto her feet and slipped on a nightgown before bolting out of her room. _Sasuke…

* * *

_

It was like déjà vu. Here he was leaving the village _again_ and for the same reason. There was only one big difference this time. He was reluctant to leave. It wasn't that he was leaving his home or even his friends—no, it was none of that. He had that before and he still left with barely any hesitation at all. This time…this time he was leaving his family, which he loved more than anything else in his entire life.

In only a year, his life had taken a drastic turn. He surprisingly fell in love, and if that wasn't bizarre enough, he just had to fall in love with the only girl in Konoha who wasn't infatuated with him. As time carried on, he did the next uncharacteristic thing of him and proposed to the Hyuga girl. Now, he was married to her and they recently had two children. He had a family now, a family of his own in which he and Hinata created.

So much had changed…_he _had changed, and he owed it all to his loving wife. He couldn't help having the strange feeling that even his own heart was beating just for her. It felt as though he was suddenly living only for her, and he didn't mind. He would never admit it out loud, but he knew that his heart was beating because of Hinata, and he loved her for that.

Sasuke sighed and continued walking towards the Uchiha gates in order to walk to the Konoha gates and leave in search of his brother…again.

"Sasuke, wait!" a familiar voice called from behind him making him halt immediately.

His eyes widened fractionally, but he didn't speak or even turn around. He just stood there listening to the footsteps approach him.

Hinata ran up to him with the hems of her white nightgown dragging on the dirt ground. She slowed down to a stop just a few feet behind him. She could barely hear her breathing over the slight breeze that blew by rustling through her hair. She shivered and kept her eyes solely on his back, where his pack was located along with his katana. She gulped and noticed with chagrin that he was ready for a mission, or a battle to be more specific. "S-Sasuke…"

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked coldly making sure not to turn around. He knew that facing her would deter his motivation to leave.

Hinata winced hearing his tone of voice, which he hadn't directed to her since the first time they met. "You were going to leave…without t-telling me…"

"Would you have preferred me to leave a note?" he spoke monotonously.

Her eyes watered, but she refused to let any tears shed. "Y-You didn't tell me…You m-made this decision…without even b-bothering to tell me—"

"Because it was my decision to make!" he hissed angrily knowing she was flinching behind him.

Hinata could feel her lips trembling and her hot tears escaping her eyes. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered.

Sasuke growled lowly and turned his head to the side. "You know why."

She sniffled and gazed down at the ground solemnly. Her arms wrapped around her torso protectively as she felt her chest constrict in pain. "I…understand…"

Sasuke clenched his fists and urged his body to stay strong and not collapse under his wife's pleading voice. "Itachi…slaughtered my clan. I watched as my parent's blood spilt on the floor. He saved them for last…so I could be there when he killed them." He paused and his voice became deeper and more threatening. "I do _not _want to see that happen again. Not with our family…not with you."

Tears trailed down her cheeks and she breathed in a shaky breath.

Sasuke stared up into the night sky at the bright moon and stars. "This is my decision, Hinata. It has always been my decision, and that will never change." He breathed deeply and spoke with finality. "I make my own decisions and have no intention of letting others help me do that."

"Then why did you marry me…?" she whispered emptily. "Why did you…attach yourself to me at all?"

Shocked by the way she spoke, he turned around so he could see her broken form. She was hugging herself desperately as numb tears ran down her pale cheeks, and her white orbs were locked onto the ground below her bare feet. But the way she said those words…it sounded as if she was just speaking emotionlessly, which was so unlike her. It worried him. This all brought him back to the questions she asked him.

Hinata closed her eyes and whispered into the breeze. "What…was the point of creating a…a bond with me if…" she gulped. "If you had no 'intention'…of sharing anything with me like married couples do?" She looked up at him then and smiled waveringly. "W-We're not l-like that though…are we? I'm s-sorry, Sasuke. I shouldn't have expected…any of that from you." Her eyes closed again in despair. "I'm sorry for…being s-so foolish…"

She gasped when strong arms were wrapped securely around her and she found her head resting against a familiar chest. Sasuke leaned down and nuzzled his face in the crevice of her neck with his cold lips pressing against her soft skin. "Don't ever apologize to me, Hinata. You are the last person who should ever have to apologize."

She inhaled deeply and relaxed in his hold while wrapping her arms around him as well. Silence engulfed them for a moment as they stood there holding each other. Hinata breathed deeply before speaking quietly. "I-I understand, Sasuke…I understand why you're doing this…I just…" she held onto him tighter. "I d-don't want to l-lose you."

He moved his mouth over her ear. "I don't want to lose you either, Hinata. That's why I need to finish him off once and for all."

"There's…no other way…is there?" she whispered hopelessly.

"…No…"

Hinata nodded and backed away from him. She attempted to put on a genuine smile, but it came out weaker than she hoped. "You'll come b-back to me…won't you?"

Sasuke's brows knotted together and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. His onyx eyes flickered away from her angelic face as the question rotated in his mind over and over again. He honestly had no clue how the battle between him and his brother would turn out. Surely, one of them would die. There was no doubt about that. He would fight with every ounce of strength and will he had, but he couldn't tell his wife exactly who would come out of that battle alive.

"Sasuke…?" she gazed into his depthless eyes begging for a hopeful answer. She knew she couldn't live knowing he would never come back to her and their family. Raising their children without their father would be devastating for her, especially since she knew her son would soon look identical to his father. Gazing upon his face everyday would break her heart and remind her of painful memories.

Sasuke inched toward her again and pulled her fragile form against his body. He rested his forehead against hers and stared directly into eyes so opposite of his own. "Will you wait for me?"

Hinata's smile was shaky and she nodded with tears cascading down her porcelain face. "Yes…"

He smiled and pressed his lips against hers with a hidden passion. He delivered a few more soft kisses before breathing against her petal-like lips. "Then wait for me."

"I promise." She closed her eyes feeling somewhat peaceful now.

"I love you, Hinata." He spoke before connecting their lips again. While doing so, Sasuke moved his hand around her neck and found her pressure point. He pressed gently and yet still effectively until her petite body collapsed in his arms signaling that she was now unconscious. He swiftly picked her up and cradled her body against him securely. "I'm sorry…"

After entering the house once again, he made his way to their bedroom and laid his wife slowly onto the bed. He made sure to cover her up so she wouldn't be cold, and placed another kiss on her tempting mouth. His fingers brushed through her dark locks before tracing her jaw-line tenderly. "Wait for me…"

* * *

Neji scanned over the written words on a piece of paper that was at his doorstep early that morning. He had just opened the door getting ready to head over to the training grounds when the paper caught his eye. What he read immediately changed his plans.

_Hyuga,_

_Go see Hinata as soon as you can._

_Thank you_

The handwriting wasn't so familiar to him, but it somehow just emanated Sasuke. Feeling concern ripple throughout his body, Neji crumpled the note into his fist and sprinted to his cousin's home.

* * *

Neji entered the quiet Uchiha home and searched the house with his byakugan. He found the twins in the baby room crying in their cribs, and his younger cousin sleeping on her bed. In a matter of seconds, he ran into the bedroom and sat next to Hinata's resting body. His hands found their way to her shoulders and gently shook her. "Hinata…Hinata, wake up."

She moaned and fluttered her eyes open staring confusedly at the man before her. "N-Neji-kun…?"

"Yes, it's me. Is everything all right? Where's the Uchiha?" he asked while looking her over finding that she had no injuries except for a miniscule bruise on a familiar spot on her neck. _Pressure point. Did Sasuke do that? If so, then what for?_

Hinata's expression was blank only for a moment before turning to complete sorrow. Her gaze lowered to watching her fingers fiddle in her lap, but she refused to let any tears escape her pure Hyuga eyes. "Sasuke is…gone."

Neji furrowed his brows not really understanding her. "What do you mean he's gone?"

She looked up then and met his almost identical eyes. Unwillingly, only one lone tear slid down her cheek. "Sasuke…has gone to…find Itachi and kill him." She gulped and shuddered absently. "He…he left Konoha last night." Her eyes closed shut and her head bowed. "Sasuke left…He's gone…"

"What?" Neji was dumbfounded and looked away from her only to notice a folded up sheet of paper on the pillow next to Hinata. "What's that?" Seeing her questioning stare, he motioned to the spot next to her.

Hinata's eyes widened noticing her name scrawled on top of the letter. She quickly grasped it and opened it in her hands. The more she read, the more pain filled her.

_Hinata,_

_I know this is hard for you and I'm sorry. Please forgive me, but you should know that there was no other way. I'm only doing this for your safety and the safety of our children. I promise you, though, that I will come back. Maybe a bit bruised and bloodied, but I'll come back alive. _

_Tell Riku to be strong and keep an eye on his sister. Tell Mikoto to not worry. She seems to be a lot like you, so make sure Riku keeps the boys away. Also…I want you to raise them in the only way I know you will. We promised to give them the childhood we never had, and I have no intention of breaking that promise._

_As they grow up, don't forget anything they do. When I come back, I want to know everything that I missed. I love you, Hinata. And tell Riku and Mikoto that I love them and that will never change…no matter what happens._

_Wait for me,_

_Sasuke_

Hinata felt the tears run down her cheeks as the letter fell from her hands. _Sasuke…please come back to me…I'll wait for you…I promise…Sasuke…

* * *

_

**Whew. Okay, that ones done. I'll see you guys after Christmas! Please Review!**


	16. Linger

**Author Note: **Sorry for the long wait. Please enjoy and thank you for all the reviews! You guys are my motivation!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

_**Time-skip ahead!****

* * *

** _

**Linger**

He was fatigued and weary as he walked those last few steps toward the Konoha gates. Sasuke had seen the Konoha gates many times in his life, but never before had they looked so heavenly. Never before had he felt such an immense amount of relief. Yes, he was home at last.

The gates opened as if sensing his return, and he was welcomed by the bright sunlight radiating from his home village. Walking past the gates, his tired eyes rested upon the most angelic sight he would ever see again. Before him in waiting was his beautiful wife holding their baby twins in her arms. Her smile shown in radiance and her eyes met his with a love he had missed so dearly.

He paused only a few feet from his treasure despite how much he wanted to run to his family and embrace them in happiness. "Hinata…" he whispered into the breeze he couldn't feel.

She smiled brightly as a blush rose to her cheeks. "Sasuke…"

He reached out his hand toward her wanting to feel her velvety skin under his fingertips. "Hinata," he continued to mutter her name as his fingers stretched toward her further. The only problem was that he couldn't reach her. As his eyebrows furrowed, he realized he couldn't move anymore and Hinata was drifting further and further away from him. "Hinata! Wait Hinata! Hinata!"

Suddenly, his body jolted awake as he inhaled sharply and his eyes snapped open. His dark eyes scanned around him taking notice of the forest and the tree branch he was laying on. One hand reached around to rest over his upper arm, where his tattoo was located. Just under his fingers were the names of Hinata, Riku, and Mikoto…his family. This only made Sasuke realize that he wasn't at home and his family wasn't there. He was alone, and he was still searching for his brother.

His head rested back against the tree trunk and his eyes closed in an attempt to calm himself. How long had he been tracking his brother and riding his heels? _Nearly six years. _For almost six years, Sasuke had been running one step behind Itachi while destroying all in his path, which just happened to include a few Akatsuki members.

However, Sasuke knew he was closing in on Itachi. In fact, he knew that he was only one town away. He was close…so close to defeating his older brother once and for all.

_I've been away from home for far too long. _He sighed deeply. _I'll be caught up to Itachi in under a week. And in under a week, there will only be one more full-blooded Uchiha left.

* * *

_

Hinata gazed serenely at the area around her. In front of her was the all-too-familiar lake and the famous bench just off to her left only a few paces away. However, she wasn't sitting on the bench like she normally would—if only just to remember all the times she and her husband used to sit there. It was where their relationship practically began after all.

Instead, though, she was reclining against a large tree with the grass brushing her legs and the foliaged tree branches shading her from above. A warm breeze would occasionally weave through her dark tresses, which only added on to the tranquility of the moment.

Hinata's opal eyes looked downward to rest upon the sight of her sleeping children. The nearly six-year-old twins were sleeping peacefully on or against their mother. Hinata's legs were stretched out on the grass with her ankles crossing. The young Mikoto was resting her head on Hinata's thigh with her petite knees curled up into her chest and the tip of her thumb placed in the crevice between her lips.

Mikoto Uchiha had mostly inherited her mother's features. Her face was more round and her smile could easily match up to her innocent dark gray eyes. Of course, as of the moment, Mikoto wasn't smiling or gazing around in curiosity, but these were facts known by all who knew the little girl. She wasn't as shy as her mother, but she did have her timid moments, and she did blush either when she was embarrassed or angry.

Besides her face, Mikoto also received Hinata's unique dark hair color. Unlike Hinata, who had quite short hair up until she was fifteen, Mikoto hadn't drastically cut her hair since her birth. The little girl had always held such a fascination for her mother's long silky hair that she made sure she would look like her as the years passed by. In Hinata's eyes, the only feature that her daughter gained from Sasuke was her natural ability to understand any type of jutsu she was told, and it only took her very few tries to perform it accurately. Although, her amazing chakra control was largely derived from her mother's genes.

The young mother's white eyes trailed over to her eldest twin, Riku. The young boy was curled up against his mother's side with his head resting against her chest and his little hand fisted into her shirt just above her stomach. The sight of him sleeping so peacefully was a sight not many had the privilege of seeing, for it was in his sleep or in the moments alone with his mother that little Riku would drop his guard and let his vulnerability be seen.

That was a quality Hinata had often seen in her husband. In fact, it surprised her immensely how much Riku resembled his father. His black hair hung around his face allowing his dark gray eyes to be shadowed in the same way Sasuke's hair hung—minus the way Sasuke's hair looked in the back. Besides that, Riku nearly acted just like Sasuke, even though he grew up not really seeing his father's attitude in action. He had an affinity for learning and getting stronger, and he was extremely competitive. Around others, a genuine smile appearing on the young boy's face was unimaginable. But…Hinata knew better. It was only around his mother and sister that Riku would be carefree and act like the child he was.

Nonetheless, Hinata could never stop giggling whenever Naruto called Riku a "mini Sasuke". She couldn't blame him either, and seeing the close resemblance between her son and husband brought an inward pain during those desperate times when she wished Sasuke would return sooner rather than later.

She sighed quietly and closed her eyes. While one hand was combing through her daughter's hair, her other arm was wrapped around her son with her fingers stroking his dark hair as well. "Sasuke…" she breathed. _Where are you? Why aren't you back yet?_

"Hinata-chan!"

"Hina-chan!" Two loud voices called to her from her right side. She turned her head in the direction and saw two blondes and one head of pink hair running her way. The trio stopped short a few feet from her with cheerful grins on their faces.

Hinata smiled in return. "Hello, Sakura-chan and…" she paused taking notice of the tall blonde man standing next to his wife with his six-year-old son perched up on his shoulders. The Kage robes immediately gave him away. Hinata bowed her head slightly. "Hokage-sama,"

"Aww, Hinata-chan!" Naruto whined as his son placed his chin on top of his father's head. "You know I don't like it when you guys call me that."

"But, it'd be disrespectful if we didn't, hokage-sama."

"Yeah, if somebody else said it. But I made a rule that my friends aren't allowed to call me that—it's too weird." He grumbled with a pout dominating his features.

Hinata giggled and nodded in agreement. "As you wish, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, that's much better!" he beamed.

Sakura stepped forward. "Naruto managed to get the day off so we decided to take Akio-chan to the park."

Naruto laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I've been working really hard lately and Sakura-chan was getting mad because I wasn't home very much. Luckily, I managed to get Granny Tsunade to take over for a day…in exchange for a case of sake."

Hinata laughed and gazed down at her still sleeping children.

"Hey, aunt Hina! You forgot about me!" Akio called as he jumped down from his father's shoulders to approach the timid woman.

Hinata looked up and smiled gently. "I'm sorry, Akio-kun. My, have you grown. You're almost as tall as your father now."

"Really?" his eyes were wide and his smile bright making his emerald eyes glow with exuberance. "You think so?"

"Of course." Hinata giggled.

He opened his mouth to speak once more, but his eyes caught sight of the two twins cuddled up near their mother. He glanced at Riku only for a second before he gazed lovingly at the young girl, whose face was being curtained by her black-blue hair. "Mikoto-chan!" he yelled with excitement only for him to yelp in pain when his ear was being tugged on harshly. "Ow!"

Sakura pinched his ear with her other hand on her hip. "Akio Uzumaki, you be quiet this instant. Those children are asleep and yelling is not appreciated."

"Okay, okay! Sorry, mom, I said I'm sorry! Ouch, mama, that hurts!"

"Sakura-chan, he wasn't being that loud!" Naruto tried to reason with her, but he only got a knock to the head in return.

"He's being as loud as you! Of all the traits to inherit from you, that had to be one? Ugh!"

"Sakura-chan…"

"Mom…!" The two boys whined from their injured parts.

Sakura merely sighed and backed away from them. "Insolent little…"

Hinata was smiling weakly up until she felt Riku squirming next to her. He mumbled a few incoherent phrases while regaining a comfortable position. Hinata hushed him silently while stroking his hair until he sighed and fell into slumber once again. Hinata smiled and looked up only to notice Naruto and Sakura smiling at her warmly and Akio taking slow steps toward the young Mikoto.

All three adults watched as the little blonde haired boy knelt next to Mikoto and leaned down so that he was resting his head on Hinata's leg with his face only a few inches away from the little girl's face. He reached over to hold her hand and blushed while he continued to watch her sleep. "Mikoto-chan's so pretty. Aunt Hina?" he questioned without turning away from the girl in front of him.

"Hm?"

"Uh…can I have Mikoto-chan?" he asked pleadingly.

Hinata bit her lip in an attempt to keep from giggling. "I don't know, Akio-kun. You'd have to ask her yourself."

"Okay…" he scooted closer with his green eyes never parting from the peaceful face of the girl. When he was close enough, he whispered. "Mikoto-chan, can I have you?"

She only sighed in her sleep without her eyelids even twitching.

Akio pouted and squeezed her hand slightly. "Mikoto-chan?"

"Leave her alone, loser." A tired voice sounded causing everyone to look over to Hinata's side only to see Riku's eyes open and glaring at the young blonde. "Don't you know to not bother someone when they're sleeping? Man, you really are a loser."

Akio shot up and glared right back at the dark-haired boy. "You take that back, Riku!"

Riku yawned as he began to stand up. Once he was fully standing, he crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow at the other. "I know we're outside, but do you really have to yell so much?"

Akio growled and stood up fully before stalking over to him. He jabbed his finger into Riku's chest and smirked with mischief. "You think you're better than everyone? Well, you're wrong!"

"You're right." Riku matched his smirk. "I'm not better than everyone…just you."

Akio scowled and tightened his hands into fists. "You wanna bet? I can take you!"

"Yeah right. I'd like to see you try."

"Fine!"

"You'll just end up losing like every other time you challenged me to a fight…loser."

Naruto was watching curiously while Sakura and Hinata exchanged a weary glance. This scene was all too familiar to them. It was like the relationship of Sasuke and Naruto all over again.

As the two boys continued to bicker and argue, Mikoto rolled over onto her side and opened her eyes slowly while adjusting to the brightness of the day. She yawned and sat up stretching. Hinata noticed the movement and watched her daughter wake from her slumber. The little girl first set eyes on her mother and she moved until she was embracing Hinata tightly. "Mama…"

"Good afternoon, Mikoto." Hinata murmured returning the warm embrace.

She released from her mother's hug and looked around with blinking gray eyes. "What was all that noise, mama?"

Hinata was about to answer, but her son and Akio did it for her. As their voices increased in volume, the more attention they got. Mikoto finally looked over and walked up to the two arguing boys hoping to stop them. One finger was held up to her mouth as she peeked at them both through her thick lashes. "Um…Nii-nii? Akio-kun?"

The two boys stopped immediately and slowly looked over at the young girl next to them. Akio melted under her gaze immediately, but Riku frowned with defiance.

"Mikoto-chan!" Akio exclaimed happily. "You woke up finally!"

She smiled cutely, satisfied that he was not going to continue the argument, so she turned to smile at her brother expectantly. "Nii-nii?"

He sighed averting his gaze. "What is it, Miko-chan?"

"Can we go play now?"

"Play where?"

"Mama said there's a playground over there." She pointed into the trees to a place they passed on the way to the clearing. "So, can we go there? Please, Nii-nii?"

"Ugh…okay, Miko-chan, let's go."

Akio laughed. "I'll race you there, Riku!"

"I wanna race too!" Mikoto chimed in.

Riku smirked. "Get ready to lose you two. See ya!"

At that, the three sped off toward the direction of the playground leaving the adults behind.

Hinata stood up dusting her clothes off and faced her two friends. "So, what do you plan on doing for your day off, Naruto-kun?"

A small blush rose to his cheeks as he glanced between Sakura and the ground. "Well…we were kind of hoping to spend the day together since we don't get much alone time with work and Akio around."

Hinata stared at them blankly for a few seconds before her mouth formed into the shape of an "O". With a sympathetic smile, she nodded. "After they're done playing…I was going to take them home for lunch. If you'd like, Akio-kun can c-come with us and stay the night even."

"Really?" Naruto grinned excitedly.

"You'd do that for us, Hina-chan?" Sakura looked hopeful.

"Of course. I'm sure…" her voice trailed off into a mournful whisper. "You'd do the same for me."

* * *

Hinata exhaled and wiped her brow of the few beads of sweat there. She was currently finishing up their lunch while the kids played outside and sparred with each other. As she backed away to let the food cook, her eyes caught onto a familiar album on the edge of the counter.

Slowly, she walked over grabbing it off the counter and sat down in one of the chairs at the table. From her position, she could also glance out the window to check up on the children. After doing her quick check-up, she opened the photo album on her lap and gazed nostalgically at the pictures. The first pictures she came across were those of her and her children when they were about two or three.

She had pictures of her playing with the twins, bathing them while getting soaked in the process, putting them to sleep, cradling them in her arms… There were even a bunch of pictures with her friends posing with Riku and Mikoto. Neji was present in most of them, and especially with Riku. It became a known fact that Neji seemed to be Riku's favorite male adult. He looked up to him greatly and Neji adored him in return. Hinata could easily see that her cousin had become a father figure to her son, and she hated to admit how much that bothered her.

A favorite uncle is one thing, but father figure? It wouldn't be that big of a problem if Riku wasn't already bitter towards his absent father and angry because he felt abandoned by Sasuke. Hinata had tried many times to tell Riku how much his father loved them all, but the boy wouldn't hear any of it. He believed that if his father didn't care enough to be there with them, then he didn't care at all.

Hinata sighed and flipped through the pages. Another bunch of pictures of her kids with Akio with the blonde always slinging an arm around Riku and blushing around Mikoto. Oh yes, they were an odd trio, but a very familiar one.

As Hinata turned the pages more quickly, her heart skipped a beat when she came to a handful of well-known pictures at the back of the album. She remembered having placed them there only a few days after Sasuke's departure. The morning after, Ino had dropped by to deliver the developed photographs and Hinata had looked at them in grief all too often for the next year.

For the next four years after that, Hinata had refused to look at the pictures again. She had children to raise, and she didn't have time to dwell on the past. Even so, her trembling hands turned the pages with her eyes glancing over each and every picture there, which were all taken at Sasuke's 21st birthday party. However, her eyes gazed more intensely at one picture in particular. Her fingers grazed over the top of it tracing the outlines of the faces and bodies of her family. In it, she and Sasuke were sitting down with a twin in each of their arms and their lips locked together lovingly. It was a true family picture, which just happened to make her chest ache in sorrowful pain.

_Sasuke…_

* * *

Mikoto frowned from her sitting position on the ground. Above her, her brother and Akio were arguing heatedly once again. This time, it was solely because of her, even though she convinced herself that it was really her own fault and not Akio's. In truth, they were having a spar between all three of them. It was going well until Mikoto wasn't paying attention and accidentally got in-between the two boys, who were charging at each other full speed. Due to being caught in the crossfire, Riku had stopped in time but Akio wasn't as fortunate. He ended up crashing into her knocking her to the ground and Riku got protective. The young Uchiha boy immediately started yelling at the Uzumaki boy about hurting his little sister.

Mikoto tried to interject various times, but it proved pointless as they continued without even noticing her pleas to stop and screams that she was really okay. Akio had his fists clenched at his sides with his green eyes glowing with fury, and Riku had his Shakugan (her grandfather called it that) eyes activated showing that he was ready to attack at any second. To be honest, the little girl had always wondered why her and her brother's eyes were so different from everyone else's, even her mother's.

She had been told that it was a combination of her parent's bloodlines, but at her age, that didn't really make much sense to her. She had seen her mother's eyes activated many times and could easily see the difference. Mikoto and Riku's eyes were dark gray in color, and when activated only turned a slightly darker shade. Veins would appear just like they did with Hinata's byakugan, but that wasn't all.

Instead of their eyes being pupil-less, each eye had three small strangely shaped pupils surrounding one average pupil in the middle. On occasion whenever she watched Riku battle, she noticed how those three pupils would spin rapidly, and would always wonder if her eyes did the same thing. Either way, it didn't really matter to Mikoto no matter how much her mother and grandfather insisted that the Shakugan was more powerful than all the other bloodline limits out there.

Her thoughts were put to a halt when she noticed someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over, she smiled in delight at seeing a familiar man walking toward the trio. In a hurry, she stood up and ran towards him while yelling in glee. "Uncle Neji!"

Hearing the familiar name, Riku unconsciously deactivated his Shakugan and gazed at his sister jumping up into the arms of the Hyuga prodigy. A small smile broke out across his face as he too ran over to greet the man. "Hey Uncle Neji!"

Neji chuckled as he balanced Mikoto on his waist and returned her fervent hug the same way he had always returned his cousin's. It was strange to him how much his little "niece" resembled Hinata in almost every aspect. For a split second, he felt as if he was four years old again and hugging the three year old Hinata. That disappeared when his "nephew" tugged on his shirt to get his attention.

"Uncle Neji, what are you doing here?" he asked and his face started to beam with excitement. "Oh! Are you going to train me? We should spar, Uncle Neji! Please? Can we?"

"Hmmm…probably not today, Riku. I've just come to check up on your mother. Where is she?"

Riku lowered his gaze in disappointment, but Mikoto jumped down from his arms and pointed toward the house with a large smile. "Mama's making us lunch!"

"Is she now?" he smiled gently and nodded to Akio, who he just now noticed. "I didn't know you were over here, Akio. Where are your parents?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Dunno. Aunt Hina said that I'm going to spend the night here."

"Hmm…Well, I'll let you all get back to whatever you were doing." He turned to walk towards the house, but stopped before entering. He faced the group with a warning gaze. "Don't get into trouble."

With that, Neji walked into the house leaving the children behind and Riku and Akio to argue again.

* * *

Neji made his way into the Uchiha house heading straight for the kitchen, where his cousin usually resided in…especially if she was preparing lunch. The entire house was quiet since the kids were outside, but Neji expected to hear some sort of sound.

As he neared the kitchen archway, he was finally able to hear a sound although it wasn't one he was hoping for. Instead, he could faintly hear sniffling and whimpers. They were silent, but audible when no other noise was present.

With stealthy steps, Neji entered into the kitchen and spotted Hinata sitting at the table with a book opened on her lap, and one of her hands shielding her face from his view. He watched her sniffle and her shoulders tremble whenever she whimpered. Only then did he really notice the stream of tears running down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. "Hinata,"

Her head snapped up at the new presence and she stared wide-eyed at her elder cousin. "N-Neji-kun…" she released a shaky breath while wiping her tears away furiously. "H-How embarrassing…I'm sorry…"

Neji was next to her in under a second and already had one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "What is it? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and smiled weakly trying to mask her inner pain. "I-It's nothing…"

His brows lowered skeptically and his eyes trailed down to the album lying in her lap. He only had to glance quickly to see the pictures containing her and Sasuke before he sighed and met Hinata's gaze evenly. "Hinata…I thought you said you weren't going to look at those until the Uchiha returned?"

"I-I know…I just…" She shook her head again and closed the book before placing it back onto the counter. In one fluid motion, she was back on her feet and standing at the forefront of the stove to finish the meal. "It's nothing, Neji-kun. I guess…" she inhaled deeply and turned to give him a small smile. "I guess I just wanted to see his face again."

Neji's features softened with a curt nod. "That's understandable."

Hinata smiled a little wider as Neji sat down in the chair she was occupying only moments before. She faced the stove again and turned off the burner now that the meal was complete. She was wiping her hands on a nearby cloth when Neji spoke up again.

"Hinata, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Hm?" She walked back towards the table sitting down in the chair closest to her cousin. "What is it, Neji-kun?"

His fingers drummed on the tabletop and his line of sight was directed out the sole window in the room. "I've been training Riku for some time now."

"Yes, he's always talking about it." Hinata grinned. "I have a feeling that when he gets his sensei after he's done at the academy, he'll still want you to train him instead."

"Hn."

"Riku talks about you a lot, and keeps telling me about how much he wants to be like you when he gets older." She paused, her face becoming slightly forlorn. "He really looks up to you, Neji-kun."

The Hyuga gulped noiselessly and nodded. "Like a father…?"

Hinata met his eyes with both of them sharing the same despairing expression. "Yes…it seems that way."

"It _is _that way, Hinata." His gaze turned steely in a matter of seconds. "Which is why I've decided to stop training him."

"What?" She muttered feeling completely dumbfounded. "But…he'll be so…devastated…I mean…"

"I know." He cut her off sounding as stern as possible. "But it will be necessary. I didn't take notice of how much he thought of me as a father until he actually told me in person."

"What? What did he say?" Hinata leaned forward on the table with her brows knotted together.

"After training a couple days ago, he asked me…if I could be his father."

Her eyebrows rose and her mouth fell agape.

Neji continued averting his eyes elsewhere. "When I told him that he already had a father, he practically blew up at me. He started to go off on how he didn't have a father, and that his real father was only good for abandoning his family. He said that…he hated his father…"

Hinata bit down on her lip and struggled to keep her tears at bay. "Why…?" she whispered. "Why does Riku hate Sasuke so much? I just don't understand…"

"Hinata, everyday he goes to the academy, he looks around at his classmates and sees them being dropped off and picked up by their parents…mainly their fathers. Everyday, he sees relationships with fathers…relationships he doesn't have, but wishes he did. He's told me many times that for once…he wishes that his father had never left, and that he could know what it's like to be a son to a proud father."

"He said all that?"

Neji shrugged. "More or less. Most of it, I observed myself. But that's not all he said. One of the reasons he told me was that he hated…seeing his mother cry because his father wasn't with her."

Hinata stared blankly at the table surface with a smile tugging at her lips. "He's always so observant." She sniffed. "I should've known better than to try to hide my tears from that boy…so much like his father…"

"Then you understand now?" Neji questioned.

Hinata looked up at him.

"That I need to stop training him?"

She nodded reluctantly and clasped her hands together in her lap. "He'll be disappointed."

"I'm not his father, Hinata. He needs to understand that he has a father…one who loves him more than I ever could imagine."

* * *

_**The Next Day…**_

Hinata knelt down in front of her children as soon as they all arrived at the academy that morning. When she was about their height, she pulled both of them into a hug while simultaneously giving them kisses on their cheeks. "Have a good day." She whispered to them.

They both hugged her back tightly, and Mikoto nuzzled her face in her mother's neck. "I'll miss you, mommy."

"I'll miss you too, Mikoto." She released them both and began to stand up. "Now, remember, Mikoto, stay close to your brother at all times."

She nodded in understanding.

"And don't forget that you're walking over to your grandfather's house today, okay? You walk there right after class gets out. Riku, I want you to hold your sister's hand the whole way, okay?"

Riku nodded with a small smile and an eye roll. "Okay, mom. We've done this before, you know. You don't have to treat us like babies."

Hinata laughed lightly. "I know. Just be safe, okay?"

"Yes, mom." They both replied.

Riku was about to turn around, but faced his mother once again with a question. "Mom? When are you gonna come pick us up?"

"Hmm…not until after dinner, sweetie. Mommy's got to work late today."

They both pouted their lips. "Okay…"

Hinata bent down to give them one more kiss to their foreheads before turning around. "Be good to your sensei!" she called out before beginning her walk towards the hospital.

Riku watched his mother walk out of the academy front yard. Absently, he could feel his sister grasp onto his hand, but that was normal. His eyes strayed around to the other kids there all saying goodbye to their mother or father. One classmate in particular—his name was Hojo from what Riku recalled—was saying goodbye to his father, who in turn ruffled his hair and told him how proud he was of his little boy.

It would be a lie if Riku said he never dreamed about times when his own father would show up after school, ruffle his hair, offer to train him, and tell him over and over how proud he was that Riku was his son. Unfortunately, for the past five years, he was never able to experience that…and it made him angry.

His attention turned back to Hojo, who was running into the academy, but not before sticking his tongue out at the young Uchiha boy. Riku glared back and faced Hojo's father, who was now waving at his mother with a friendly smile on his face. Hinata was polite as always and waved back with a smile of greeting in return. Riku's upper lip snarled in disgust before his hand was tugged on.

"Nii-nii, let's go. Class is going to start soon!" Mikoto said as she dragged her brother inside the building.

The classes continued and one glance at the clock would tell any student that there were only minutes before they would be released for lunch. Outwardly, Riku appeared like he didn't care much, but he was leaping for joy on the inside. Despite that, he still stared out the window next to him in boredom with his chin resting on his palm. Mikoto sat in-between him and Akio, and she was currently sinking low into her seat hoping to not be seen by Tenten-sensei. The last thing she wanted was to be called on to answer a question, whether she knew the answer or not. Akio, on the other hand, seemed to be one of the only ones in class who was raising their hand and answering questions like it were the easiest thing on earth. He obviously inherited his smarts from his mother.

With an inaudible sigh, Riku went back to staring out the window while his thoughts cluttered his young mind. Did he really have a father like his mother always talked about? If he did, was he still alive? Was he coming back? Did he _want _to come back? Didn't he miss his family at all? Why was he the only one who was angry with his father for leaving in the first place? Shouldn't his sister be as angry too?

_Whatever. _Riku would just have to wait and find out.

* * *

Hinata stifled a yawn as she entered the hospital lounge room, where she was hoping to get a nice cup of hot tea to help her stay awake. Before she closed the door behind her, she caught sight of her pink-haired friend already sitting at one of the round tables with her hands around a steaming cup of black coffee.

Sakura smiled at her timid friend. "Hey, Hina-chan."

"Hello, Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled in return and immediately went to work preparing her tea.

"Taking a break too, huh?"

"Mm." She grabbed her cup of tea and joined her friend at the table. "I figured that…I'm going to need it since, well, I'm pulling a double shift for the rest of the week."

"Yeah, me too. Geez," Sakura groaned. "I take one day off, and suddenly I have to pull double shifts for an extra six to seven days. Ridiculous…"

"Well…" Hinata began. "We don't have to go this Thursday."

"Huh? We don't? Why not?" Sakura was confused, yet very hopeful to the prospect of getting another day off in only a couple more days.

"It's the twins' birthday. They'll be turning six." She paused shortly. "I'm inviting all of you, of course. Riku and Mikoto would love to have their uncles and aunts spend their birthday with them."

"Oh, wow. I can't believe I actually forgot that their birthday was coming up. Hmm…I can't even believe that it's already July too. Man, time passes by quickly."

Hinata lowered her gaze while rubbing her finger over the rim of the cup. _Not always…

* * *

_

Naruto looked up from his paperwork once he sensed another presence in the room. Standing in front of his desk was a familiar person dressed in ANBU gear. It was obvious that it was a male, and he was wearing the mask of some type of animal Naruto couldn't really guess right away. Nonetheless, Naruto did know who the person was.

The blonde smiled. "Back so soon?"

The man nodded sternly.

Naruto raised a brow. "You know…you can remove your mask. Nobody's in here besides you and me, Shino."

He nodded again and took off his mask revealing his face, which he quickly covered his eyes with sunglasses. "To answer your question, yes, my team has returned a little earlier than we expected. However, another team was sent in our stead so that I could come back to report to you about our findings, Hokage-sama."

Naruto frowned warningly.

Shino twitched slightly before bowing his head. "I meant Naruto…not hokage-sama."

At once, the blonde hokage was beaming. Although, that disappeared once he thought back on what Shino had said. "So…What were your findings this time?"

Shino's face did not reveal even the slightest expression change. "We came across another Akatsuki body."

"Where?"

"Earth country. We came across the body about 30 miles from the Hidden Stone Village."

"And? Who was it? You managed to identify him, didn't you?"

"Yes, it was Kisame Hoshigake. That's nearly all of the Akatsuki members dead now. All except—"

"Itachi Uchiha." Naruto finished solemnly. "Were you able to figure out who killed him?"

Shino nodded once. "You should know as well even though we already did the tests to confirm our suspicions."

"Sasuke's been taking them out left and right." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "It's been the only way we can track him."

"He wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't going to let anything get in his way from defeating his brother."

"Yeah…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and stared out one of his windows. "Where do you think he's going?"

"We assumed he was heading to the Northwest direction of Earth country. Would you like us to track him down and—"

"No. I think it's enough that we know he's alive. I just hope the next body found isn't Sasuke's."

"Hn." Shino nodded in agreement.

Naruto exhaled deeply and noticed how gray and dark the clouds were. "Hmm…It looks like it's going to rain soon."

* * *

_**Later that night…**_

Hinata had been asleep for only a few hours and was just about to start dreaming when a small voice shook her out of her deep sleep. "Mama…Mama? Mama?"

Hinata breathed in sharply and opened her tired eyes to stare curiously at her pouting daughter. The room was dark and she could barely make out Mikoto's features. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she surprised herself by how groggy her voice sounded.

Mikoto tapped her forefingers together and lowered her lids halfway. "I-I'm scared, mama."

"Why are you scared, Mikoto?"

"Um…well…" she opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by the flash of lightning, which made her flinch, and a boom of thunder, which made her tremble excessively.

Hinata stared out through her bedroom window at the stormy surroundings and remembered her daughter's fear of storms. With only a smile, she pulled her covers away giving Mikoto the hint to come on in. When her daughter buried her body against her own, she covered them both and held Mikoto with a sense of protectiveness. "Shh, it's okay now. Just go to sleep."

"Okay, mommy." She murmured and wrapped her small arms around her mother's torso.

There was pure silence afterward, which was only broken by their combined breathing. Hinata closed her eyes again and was only seconds from drifting back into her slumber when her daughter woke her up.

"Mama?"

"Hm?"

"Um…When is daddy coming back?" She asked innocently.

"…I don't know, Mikoto." Hinata whispered in reply. "Soon."

"But mama…you say that all the time."

"I know…You don't believe me?" Hinata smiled slightly.

"I do, mama, I do. It's just…" She trailed off before she started speaking again. "Mama?"

"Hm?"

"Why does Nii-nii hate daddy so much?"

"…I'm not sure. I think it's because he feels like your father left because he didn't love us."

"But…you said that he left to protect us. You said that there was a bad man who wanted to hurt us, so daddy left to keep us safe."

"Yes, and he'll be back once that bad man is gone."

"Okay…"

Another moment of silence came and went quickly. "Mama?"

"Hm?"

"I miss daddy."

Hinata smiled tearfully and inhaled a shaky breath. "Me too, sweetie. Me too."

* * *

**Well, in case you haven't noticed…this chapter was mainly just to show how Hinata lives day to day with Sasuke gone. Also, I want to say that the term "Nii-nii" isn't something I made up. I heard it off of another anime, and I loved it. Anyway, please review!**


	17. Defense

**Author Note: **Thank you for all the reviews. In case you haven't already guessed, the end is coming near, so be ready for it. However, it is not this chapter, so don't worry. Carry on!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**

**Defense**

_**July 23**__**rd**_

Sasuke looked up at the sign telling him the name of the small village he had just entered. Of course, the name meant nothing to him; it was the person who resided within the village that made his feet move forward with a purpose.

He could sense _him_—_knew _he was there. He had no need for tracking him down the way most people would. There was not even a need to ask a local villager if they had seen a mysterious man wearing a black cape with red clouds. No, there was no need for any of that. Instead, it was almost like Sasuke was walking in the very footsteps Itachi had taken, which were all leading to the final battleground.

As Sasuke walked, he couldn't help his eyes glancing up into the sky. Coming from the southeast direction of the village in Earth country, he could see a dark storm coming his way. Without having to make any sort of guess, he knew the storm would hit the village before the day was close to even being out. _Rain… _Sasuke mused. _What perfect weather for a fight to the death.

* * *

_

The academy had just released the students for lunch giving them a short time of freedom until they were forced to return to their classes once again. Most students loved this time and looked forward to it as every second ticked by during class; however, there was always those few children who loathed that short period of time.

Riku just happened to be one of those children. It wasn't the eating part of lunch that bothered him—oh no—it was the "play time". Normally after being let out, he would leave to go eat lunch at a secluded place with Akio and Mikoto following. When they were done, Akio would usually stick with Riku while Mikoto went off to go socialize with the only girl friends she had. That was usually what got the older Uchiha child on edge. If his sister weren't near him or in his line of sight, he would inwardly panic. There was good reason too.

Riku was leaning against a nearby tree on the outskirts of the play yard with his blonde friend standing right in front of him wearing that usual grin of his, the same grin he had seen his uncle Naruto wear constantly. And just like his uncle Naruto, the hokage of their village, Akio was rambling on and on about something he wasn't really paying much attention to. Instead, he found that gazing blankly at the sky was more entertaining.

This only seemed to trigger Akio's frustration. "Hey, Riku, are you listening to me?"

"Not really." He replied coolly still not looking at the other boy.

Akio narrowed his eyes into a glare. "I just asked why you aren't that excited about your birthday. It is today, right?"

"Duh. Didn't your mom tell you already?"

"Yeah, but I thought you'd at least be smiling or something." He rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. "You're really weird sometimes."

This got Riku to turn his attention onto the hokage's son. "_I'm _weird? You should look in the mirror for a change."

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?"

"You get the best grades in class so figure it out."

Akio growled in return and readied his fists at his sides. "Man! Why do I even hang out with you?"

"I don't know." Riku shoved his hands into his pockets. "Figure that out too, cause I've been wondering about that for awhile now."

"Why you—" Akio was seconds from retorting when a familiar cry reached their small ears.

Riku's eyes snapped to attention immediately as he searched the whereabouts of the sound.

Akio was also looking around, but appeared somewhat confused. "Hey, that kind of sounded like Mikoto-chan."

"It _was _Miko-chan, you idiot!" With that, Riku darted off in the direction of the cry knowing that his friend would shortly be on his heels.

Mikoto stared defiantly at the boy and his friends in front of her. She knew the boy as one of her classmates named Hojo. He was reputably the class bully, but he had never once picked on her before, so she was naturally surprised that he was doing it now. Besides that, she had also quickly noticed his group of friends standing behind him wearing the same smirk he was.

Her own friends were not standing by her side, and had instead chosen to stand safely near the wall of the academy. Mikoto hadn't left with them, and now she was fighting the urge to not cry as well as the urge to attack them all right then.

Riku arrived in only a matter of seconds, and what he saw filled him with rage. His little sister had tears in her eyes and her hair was in slight disarray looking as if it had been pulled recently. If that was true, then that explained her cry he heard earlier. Without hesitation, he ran over to her blocking her sight from the group of bullies. "Miko-chan, are you hurt?"

Seeing her brother, the tears were finally released. Her bottom lip trembled while she fervently wiped her tears away. "N-No, I-I'm okay, Nii-nii." She sniffled. "It's just…Hojo-san pulled my hair for no reason! He's being so mean, Nii-nii, and he won't even t-tell me w-why."

Riku turned away from her so that he was standing in front of her while scowling hatefully at Hojo and his friends. Absently, he could see Akio standing right next to him with the same expression on his face and his little hands fisted once again. "Hojo…" Riku muttered loathsomely.

Akio stepped closer with his green eyes glowing with fury. "How dare you hurt Mikoto-chan! I'll make you pay for what you did, Hojo!"

"Oh really?" Hojo laughed and his friends later joined him. "What are you gonna do, Akio? Tell your daddy? Oh, I'm so scared!"

Riku spoke calmly despite how angry he was feeling. "Back off right now, Hojo, or—"

"Or what?" he interrupted amusedly.

Riku smirked. "You don't wanna know."

Hojo was glaring now. "You think you're so tough, Riku Uchiha? Yeah, well, you're not!"

Riku opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he felt a tugging on his sleeve. He looked over his shoulder at the pleading eyes of his sister.

"Nii-nii, Akio-kun, let's go please. Mama said we shouldn't fight with our comrades and only enemies. Please, Nii-nii? Please, let's just go."

"Miko-chan…"

"If you fight, you'll make mama unhappy. I don't want mama to be mad at us."

Riku's scowl disappeared and was replaced by a more contemplative look, which gradually turned to defeat. "Fine. They're not worth it, anyway. Come on, Akio."

"Aww…alright." Akio pouted and began to walk away with his two best friends turning all their backs on Hojo.

As expected, this didn't please Hojo in the slightest. "Running away, Uchiha? Wow, you're more like that dad of yours than I thought."

Riku instantly stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around.

His lack of movement satisfied Hojo, which in turn encouraged him to continue his taunting. "That's what your dad did, right? He ran away. Everybody knows about it." He smirked and placed his hands on his hips.

"Shut up." Riku hissed.

This didn't deter the other boy in the slightest. "I guess he just didn't like you anymore. Or maybe he didn't like your mom anymore." He tapped his finger on his chin in fake thought. "Nah, he definitely left because of you and your sister."

Riku turned fully around looking more menacing than before. "I said shut up."

"He abandoned your family, and I'll bet that your mom really hates you two because of it." He paused feeling an immense amount of satisfaction at the reaction he was getting. "She may act like she loves you, but on the inside, she really hates your guts for making your father leave."

Mikoto felt angry tears swell in her eyes again. "That's not true! Mama loves us, she said so!"

"And you believe her? After what you guys did to make your dad leave, I don't see how she could even _try_ to love you."

"That's enough." Riku threatened.

"You better stop talking, Hojo." Akio warned feeling angered that his friends were getting insulted.

"Let's face it, Riku!" Hojo continued completely ignoring Akio's warning. "Your parents hate you! I bet if my dad married your mom, she'd be happier about being _my _mommy instead!"

That was it. Hojo had crossed the line and insulted Riku to the extreme. _Nobody _insulted the Uchiha family—not if Riku had anything to say about it.

Riku side-glanced at Akio, who met his gaze equally. No words had to be said between the two as they were both thinking the same thing. They nodded to each other at the same time and charged at Hojo and his friends within the next second. Oh yes, they were definitely going to pay.

* * *

_Ugh. I was supposed to get today off. Oh well. Ino-chan deserves the break more than Sakura-chan and I do, I suppose. She is on maternity leave, after all. At least I'm getting off early. _Hinata thought to herself before focusing on her work again.

Hinata was busy going over a few protocols with a patient when she heard her name over the monitor. Well, her name along with someone else's.

_"Hinata Uchiha and Sakura Uzumaki, please report to the front desk immediately. This is urgent. Hinata Uchiha and Sakura Uzumaki, please report to the front desk immediately. Thank you."_

Panicking only slightly, Hinata turned to her patient she was attending and muttered a quick "excuse me" before leaving the room. Once she got out into the hallway, she started a brisk run toward the main lobby of the hospital. Halfway there, she met up with Sakura, who was also going at the same speed. Her pink-haired friend addressed her right away. "Do you know what's going on, Hina-chan?"

"Mm…No, I don't." Her words sounded calm, but her furrowed brows betrayed that.

"Hmm…Well, somebody must have a bad case of something if they had to call _both _of us."

"I agree." And before they knew it, they were at the front desk while panting slightly.

"What's going on? What happened?" Sakura asked urgently.

The secretary looked grim as she held up a slip of paper. "Tenten-san called and left a message with me for you two."

"Tenten-chan?" They both questioned simultaneously.

"Yes, she told me to tell you that you're needed down at the academy—"

"Academy?"

Hinata clutched her hands above her chest. "Is everything alright? Did something happen to Riku or Mikoto?"

"Well…" The secretary fumbled a little bit. "All Tenten-san told me was that your boys got in a fight and the whole thing needs to be sorted out between the parents and whatnot. Like I said, you're needed down there right away, and don't worry about your shifts. I'll tell Tsunade-sama that you two had an emergency."

There was no time for quick thank-you's as Sakura and Hinata practically bolted out of the hospital doors running straight for the academy.

Hinata was worried, but Sakura seemed completely furious. "That boy! Getting in a fight already? I told him that he wasn't allowed to fight Riku-kun when they were at school! Oh, he's going to get it!"

Hinata bit her lip in concern and focused on running faster. "I hope they're not hurt…"

* * *

The two medics arrived at the academy and ran straight inside without a second thought. As soon as they entered the main hallway, they saw Riku, Mikoto, and Akio sitting down on a bench with their heads bowed, and Tenten leaning against the opposite wall with her arms folded over her chest.

All four heads looked up at the sound of running footsteps coming their way. Seeing who they were, Akio winced, Riku appeared impassive, Mikoto looked slightly ashamed, and Tenten smiled and walked over to greet them. However, that wasn't where the two ran to first.

Sakura ran to her son just as Hinata ran to her own children. Hinata knelt down in front of her two sitting twins and immediately activated her byakugan to look them over. "Are you two alright? Are you hurt?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "We're fine, mom. He didn't even scratch me."

"And I didn't get to fight." Mikoto added with a pout.

Hinata deactivated her byakugan and stroked Riku's cheek where a small bruise was beginning to form. "Maybe he didn't scratch you, but there is a bruise…"

Riku groaned. "Yeah, well, that was Akio's fault."

"Ow, mom, I'm sorry!" Akio squealed as his mother continued to pinch his ear with one hand on her hip and one of her feet tapping on the floor.

"What have I told you over and over again, Akio-chan?"

"To not fight Riku in school, which I didn't!"

"Don't lie to me—"

"I'm not, mom! Even ask Tenten-sensei!"

Riku explained trying to lessen his mother's worry. "Akio, the idiot, wasn't paying attention to who he was hitting and accidentally punched me in the face when I was busy with Hojo."

Hinata raised a brow in confusion. "So…you…weren't fighting with Akio-kun?"

Tenten sighed and stepped forth to further explain what happened. "I probably should've given more information to your secretary when I called, but they weren't fighting each other. Your boys ended up getting in a fight with Hojo and a few other students at lunch." She paused noticing she had both mothers' attention. But, suddenly her eyes glowed with excitement. "You should've seen it. I've had these kids all year and have only seen them spar with dummies. This time, I saw them fight with real opponents! Oh, wow did they inherit your guys' genes! I mean, Akio was fighting with the brute strength of you, Sakura-chan, combined with Naruto's 'never give up' attitude and weird strategies in battle, and—"

"Tenten-chan," Sakura tried to intercept only to be interrupted herself.

"And Riku! Riku was using the Hyuga fighting technique and fought just like Neji, but with Sasuke's agility and speed, and even your great chakra control, Hina-chan!"

"But, Tenten-chan," Hinata tried to interrupt this time, but it still didn't work.

"And poor Mikoto-chan! She wanted to fight so bad, but Riku and Akio kept telling her to not get involved, but I'm most definitely sure she would've fought just like you, Hina-chan! Those other poor boys didn't have a chance against the Uzumaki and Uchiha prodigies!"

"Tenten-chan!" Both women yelled to get her attention.

Tenten stopped and tilted her head. "What?"

Sakura and Hinata sighed, but it was Sakura who spoke first. "Where are the other boys?"

"Oh, well, most of them went home already since they weren't in too bad condition. Hojo is in the medical office with his father. He had some pretty bad injuries, and if I hadn't stepped in when I did, I probably would've had to send him to the hospital." She shook her head in wonder. "Kurosaki-san should be finished soon, so once they get out, I think you three should talk and sort out some things with your kids."

Sakura and Hinata nodded in understanding while giving disappointed glances back to their sons.

"Oh, and don't worry about their punishments." Tenten added. "This is the first time those two have gotten in a fight, so I'll let them off this once. I figured you two would punish them more efficiently than I could."

"You're damn right he's going to get punished." Sakura muttered under her breath not noticing her son's cringe.

"I'll go get Kurosaki-san and let him know that you two are here." Tenten said before walking down the hall towards the medical office.

After watching Tenten disappear, Hinata knelt back down in front of her children with a softened, yet harder, expression—one that only Hinata could pull off. Her eyes stayed solely on her son. "Riku, why would you fight those boys? They're your comrades and you might be on teams with some of them in the future. You're only supposed to fight enemies, remember?"

"I told you mama wouldn't be happy." Mikoto mumbled while absently fiddling with her shirt hem.

"I didn't start that fight, mom." Riku defended.

"Then why did you fight back?" Hinata questioned.

Riku only looked away with a scowl on his young face.

Noticing her brother's silence, Mikoto decided to answer for him. "Hojo-san said mean things about you and daddy, mama."

Hinata let out a breath and held her daughter's hands in her own. "That's still no excuse, Mikoto. He probably only said those things to make you mad."

"But he said that you hate us, and that you don't wanna be our mommy anymore!"

Riku glared ahead of him. "He kept saying that it was our fault that father left."

Hinata's eyebrows lowered and her shoulders sunk. She gently grasped onto her son's chin making him look at her in the eyes. Her other hand was still holding onto Mikoto's hands. When both their attentions was on their mother, Hinata began. "There is not a moment when I'm not loving you two. I love both of you so much, and don't ever think that I don't want to be your mother. I wouldn't trade you two for anybody else in the entire world." She paused to make sure they understood before she went on, albeit hesitantly. "And don't ever think that it was your fault that your father left. How many times have I told you that he left to protect you from a very bad man? And he's not gone forever; he will come back, I promise you. You don't think I'd lie to you, do you?"

"No, mama." Mikoto answered first.

Riku answered in a mumble. "No."

Hinata smiled warmly. "Good, because I could never stop loving you two."

A clearing of the throat interrupted their family moment. Hinata stood up and turned around to face her brown-haired friend and a man and a boy standing behind her. Tenten motioned towards the two males. "This young boy here is named Hojo. This man is his father, Fujio Kurosaki. Kurosaki-san, this is Sakura Uzumaki, mother of Akio, and this is Hinata Uchiha, mother of Riku and Mikoto-chan."

The adults bowed to each other while Tenten left to stand near the children so that the parents could talk.

Fujio Kurosaki was a tall and very skinny man. The forehead protector on his head made it obvious that he was also a ninja to the village, but what rank they didn't know. The smile on his face would be considered normal, but Sakura and Hinata could easily tell that it was forced. "It's nice to meet you two."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and didn't appear happy whatsoever. "Listen, I don't want to have to come down here again and I know that it wasn't my son who started that fight, so I suggest you talk to your own son and tell him that bullies aren't appreciated." Her lips tightened into a thin line. "I'm a very busy woman, and I have absolutely no time to come down here just so I could hear about your son picking fights."

Fujio frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "With all do respect, Sakura-sama, but I am just as busy with missions, and it's not exactly the highlight of my day to come down here either."

"Than I suggest you talk to your son about it, because it seems like he's the start of it all."

The man growled in return. "I do not need your advice on how to raise _my _son. My wife died a few months ago, so you obviously think I am incapable of raising my child?"

"Don't play the pity party with me, okay? Hina-chan raised those two kids on her own for six years, and she did a hell of a lot better job than you did in a few months time!"

"Sakura-chan," Hinata put her arm in front of her friend. "It's alright." She turned to the man and bowed again. "I apologize for my friend. She did not mean to insult you like that, Kurosaki-san." She stood upright and tried to smile. "I knew your wife when she was alive. She was a great help to the hospital, and I understand that it must've been really hard on you lately."

Fujio raised a brow and smirked lightly while turning his complete attention on the timid woman. "Please, Hinata-san, call me Fujio. And I thank you for your sympathy."

"Of course, Fujio-san."

"Normally, I don't appreciate people's sympathy," he edged closer to her not noticing how uncomfortably Hinata was starting to get. He also didn't seem to notice Tenten and Sakura's protectiveness kicking in or Riku's glare of death. "But, I can tell that yours is genuine, Hinata-san."

"Y-Yes, because I-I know how difficult it is to raise children alone, so…" Hinata gulped while smiling shakily.

In a bold move, Fujio stepped forward to hold Hinata's trembling hands in his own. Even then, his eyes only stayed on Hinata's face, but his thumb was running agitatedly over her wedding ring. "Being a single parent is very hard, and so it's only natural that we single parents should…stick together."

Sakura scoffed and used her arm to push him back a few feet so that he was no longer touching her best friend. "Get your facts straight, Kurosaki. Hina-chan is not a single parent. She's very much taken in case you haven't noticed the wedding ring."

Fujio scowled at her before returning his attention to Hinata, who he smiled maliciously at. "I don't believe I am talking to you, Sakura-sama. Hinata-san, on the other hand, I am very interested in talking to."

Hinata couldn't speak over her shocked state, and could only stare wide-eyed at the man in front of her. "F-Fujio-san…"

"Hinata-san, I understand how difficult it must've been for you when Sasuke Uchiha abandoned you and your children."

"B-But, he didn't—"

He grasped onto her left hand holding it in-between both his hands. "Let's just be honest with each other, Hinata-san. Sasuke Uchiha was well known for never being able to stay put in one place for long. He had his priorities wrong, and he ended up losing something very important because of that…you. Now, surely you know that you are a very beautiful woman, Hinata-san, and…" he began removing her wedding ring until he was clenching it in his fist.

Hinata froze in shock at what he did, but still tried to regain her composure. "F-Fujio-san, please give that back to me."

"It's all right, Hinata-san. I know we haven't known each other that well, but I do remember seeing you on various occasions and you have often caught my eye."

"Please Fujio-san, I need that back."

"I can be there for you, and we can support each other during this rough time in our lives." His expression became angrier. "It's high time you realize that there are other men out there who are better suited for you. Sasuke Uchiha is nothing more than a traitor, who pushed aside his family with a simple kick to the dust."

He would've spoken more, but his words became lodged in his throat as he felt the air get taken right out of him. He felt immense pain in his stomach and a powerful force sending him back into the wall, where he crashed into before flying through the room and into the next wall.

Everyone in the hallway saw this with wide-eyes and gaping mouths at the unconscious body a few rooms away with only rubble separating them. Hojo stood up and ran to his father with a panicked expression while everyone else turned their shocked faces to the attacker.

Hinata closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before releasing her breath. When she opened her eyes, her ring was being placed back onto her finger and her hand was no longer charged with extra chakra, which was naturally used for her gentle fist attack. "You are not allowed to speak of my husband as if you know anything about him." She murmured angrily and turned to glance at her children. "Riku, Mikoto, let's go home."

The two awed twins jumped from their seats and scurried after their mother. "Yes, mom."

Before they exited the building, Hinata turned back around to smile apologetically at Tenten and Sakura. "I apologize for that; it was quite rude of me. Judging by his condition, I think he should be taken to the hospital immediately. And Tenten-chan? I'm very sorry for damaging the walls. I'll pay for the repairs, so you don't need to worry about that." With another smile, she continued her way to her house with her children in tow.

When the Uchiha family was no longer in sight, Sakura stepped over the rubble and knelt next to the unconscious man. "Hmmm…Well, that wasn't that smart. I've never seen Hina-chan that angry before." She stared at Tenten with a wary expression. "Remind me never to take her wedding ring off."

Tenten snorted. "No kidding. That was brutal." She paused and looked inquiringly at her pink-haired friend. "By the way, when's the twin's birthday party?"

"Tonight. In only a few hours actually."

* * *

Naruto gathered up his belongings, as he was just about ready to leave the hokage tower and walk home before heading to Riku and Mikoto's sixth birthday party. Just as he was nearing the exit to his office, Shino appeared in a puff of smoke with his ANBU gear in place. Naruto sighed. "What are you doing here, Shino? You're going to the twins' birthday party, aren't you?"

"Yes, but there was something I wanted to discuss with you first, Naruto."

"Okay, what is it?"

"We've lost track of Sasuke. The storm that had passed through here not too long ago is already covering most of Earth country. Because of the heavy rainfall, our tracker nins have lost his scent."

"Wow. Not even Akamaru or Kiba can track him, huh?"

"Apparently not."

"Damn…"

"What are your orders now?"

Naruto thought to himself before nodding in finalization. "My orders…are to have all the ANBU squads over in Earth country to return back to Konoha."

"What?"

"The mission is over. I don't want anyone tracking Sasuke anymore. He'll return on his own."

"Very well. I'll send a message to my squad and the other squads to return home immediately. Afterwards, I guess I'll be seeing you at the party soon."

"Yup. Oh, and Shino?"

"What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned slyly. "Would you mind sending Shikamaru and Kiba a message for me?"

"Of course. Do you have it with you?"

"Oh no. Just tell them that after today they're on guard duty for a month."

* * *

Hinata backed away from her daughter after helping her with her dress. "Let me see, Mikoto."

The little dark-haired girl turned around with a wide smile on her face and her cute dress flowing around her. She began to twirl around in glee. "How do I look, mommy?"

Hinata smiled and gave her daughter a kiss on her cheeks. "You're beautiful, sweetie."

Mikoto giggled in delight and twirled around some more. "When is everybody going to be here, mama?"

"Soon. Now, why don't you go wait in the living room, and I'll go see how your nii-nii is doing."

"Okay!" Mikoto laughed and left her mother's bedroom.

Hinata kept her smile on as she made her way towards the twins' bedroom. She knocked on the door before entering and seeing her son right away. Riku was sitting on the edge of his bed, which was only a few feet from his sister's bed. From what she immediately noticed, Riku wasn't in his birthday clothes yet, and was instead staring blankly at the wall in front of him. It was odd how much he resembled a younger Sasuke. "Riku?" she questioned while closing the door behind her and taking a seat next to her son. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

He furrowed his brows and tightened his fists in his lap. "Nothing."

Hinata stroked her hands through his hair. "You know you can tell me whatever it is."

He nodded, but didn't say a word.

Hinata sighed and nodded before getting back up to leave the room. "Your uncles and aunts will be here soon, so you need to get dressed." Her hand was on the knob, but she was stopped from opening it.

"It's not fair." Riku muttered without even looking at his mother.

Hinata stopped and turned around to face him. "What's not fair?"

"Is Uncle Neji mad at me, mom?" he finally looked at her with a completely hurt expression.

"No, why would you think that?" she approached him until she was sitting next to him again.

"He said he's not going to train me anymore. He said that he'll be too busy with his missions, and that I can't always rely on him to train me."

"Your uncle Neji gets very busy with his missions—you know that."

"But, he's always been able to train me. So, why can't he anymore? Is it because I did something bad?"

"No, of course not."

"It's not fair! First dad leaves, and now uncle Neji too?"

Hinata could easily see how hard he was trying to keep his tears of frustration at bay. Without saying anything, she pulled him into her arms and let him release his frustrations. "Shh, it's okay. I know it's hard, but you can't keep thinking it's all your fault, Riku." She gently moved him so that he was looking at her. "Your father and Neji-kun didn't abandon you or leave you for that matter."

"Dad did. At least I can see uncle Neji once in awhile." His tone was filled with bitterness.

"Your dad loves you, Riku. But, I'm guessing that you won't believe that until he comes back." She could easily tell that he wanted to refuse that statement, but he kept his mouth shut. "I know. How about I train you instead?"

Riku looked at her strangely. "But you've never trained me or Miko-chan before. It's always been uncle Neji, aunt Hanabi, or grandpa."

"I know, but there are moves I could teach you that even your uncle Neji doesn't know."

His face beamed with excitement. "Really?"

"Really."

"That would be awesome, mom! Can we start now?"

She laughed in amusement. "No, no. You have a birthday party, remember? But, I promise that we can start first thing tomorrow when you're out of school, okay?"

"Okay!" He jumped up and began to put on his clothes for the party.

* * *

"Itachi…" Sasuke muttered from his position only ten feet from his older brother, who stood with his back to him. Above him, lightning flashed followed by the booming of thunder.

The older Uchiha slowly turned around to face Sasuke with his usual emotionless mask. There was momentary silence as the lightning flashed again lighting their features for only a few seconds. When the thunder sounded, raindrops could be seen descending from the gray clouds and hitting the ground below their feet.

Itachi smirked. "Little brother…"

* * *

**Okay! I'm popping these babies out as fast as I can! The next chapter will be primarily about Itachi and Sasuke's final fight. I'll release that one only if I get as many reviews as I got for the previous chapter. So…please review? Thanks guys!**


	18. Fury

**Author Note: **Wow. You guys are seriously the best! If not for the awesome reviews you all gave me, I wouldn't have gotten this out at the time I did, so thanks be to you! Okay, well, enjoy, I guess.

_**Warning: I do not write fight scenes well, so you'll have to excuse the shortness of it. Sorry that it might not be up to par with you guys, but I tried.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**

* * *

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**Fury**

The rain poured down in sheets, which only further darkened the surroundings. The lightning flashed continually and was always followed quickly by the clashing thunder. When the lightning flashed again, the Uchiha brothers were seen staring at each other from opposite ends of a clearing. Sasuke had followed his brother into the forest just outside of the village limits. Itachi had only stopped in his tracks once they reached that desolate clearing. In his mind, it would be a sufficient place for their battle.

The rain drenched his clothes weaving through his fabric and dripping off the ends of his fingertips. As sharingan met sharingan, his hands fisted and his brows tightened into a frown. He could feel the rain streaming down his face making his hair stick to his forehead protector and around his eyes. "It ends tonight." Sasuke spoke clearly to the only other man there.

In response, Itachi only lifted his chin slightly and kept his bored expression on his younger brother.

Sasuke licked his lips before he released slow threatening breaths between his lips. "After this fight, only one Uchiha will be walking away alive."

"A fight to the death then?" Itachi inquired in amusement.

The younger Uchiha narrowed his eyes. "This fight will declare which of us is better, and most importantly…the safety of my family, in which case, you will lose."

A small smirk appeared on Itachi's face. "Is that so? Prove it to me then."

"Hn," Sasuke twirled a kunai around his finger before gripping it tightly in his hand. "You will regret ever setting eyes on my wife and children."

Itachi slowly raised one hand in front of him and formed a hand sign. "We'll see about that."

At that exact moment, the final Uchiha battle began.

* * *

Hinata had just finished cooking the meal and watched gleefully as her children were putting rice into small bowls. Riku quickly glanced to his younger sister and laughed. "That's not how you do it, Miko-chan. You're making it too messy." He stepped closer taking a look at the bowl she just finished. There was too much rice, which resulted in it pouring over the edges.

Mikoto pouted. "I tried making it like you do, Nii-nii, but it's not working!"

He laughed again as he began fixing her minor mistakes. "I guess you're just not meant to cook, Miko-chan."

The little girl folded her arms over her chest and pouted even further.

Hinata giggled to herself and knelt next to her daughter before tilting her little chin upward to face her mother. "It's okay, Mikoto." She leaned in to whisper as if it was a secret. "Your father was never good at cooking either."

"R-Really?" Hope gleamed in her eyes once she heard that she had something in common with her father.

Hinata smiled widely. "Mhm."

A loud knock sounded at the front door turning the family's attention toward the noise. Hinata stood up and stroked her fingers through her daughter's dark locks. "Mikoto, sweetie, why don't you go see who it is?"

"Okay!" She laughed and ran out of the kitchen towards the living room.

After her daughter departed, she looked at her son to see him staring blankly after his sister. "Riku, would you set the table please?"

He blinked a few times before answering with a small smile. "Sure, mom."

Hinata thanked him with a kiss to his forehead, which he wiped away in embarrassment. "Mom!"

"What? Nobody saw. Plus, I'm entitled to show my love to my son."

"You treat me like I'm a baby…" he muttered and walked over to get the dishes out of the cabinet.

"You're right. You're _my _baby."

"Mom! I'm six-years-old now!"

"Oh, that's right. How silly of me. How could I forget that my only son is going to be a man soon?" she teased.

As he carried the dishes to the table, he smiled proudly. "Yup! I am almost a man. Pretty soon, I'll be able to beat Uncle Neji in a fight and prove to everyone that I'm really strong!"

Hinata laughed lightly to herself while absently thinking that her son might've been hanging out with the Uzumaki's a little too much.

Mikoto threw open the door to smile brightly at whoever was there. Her eyes immediately lit up at the visitors and she ran to jump up into the arms of her uncle. "Uncle Neji!"

He chuckled. "Happy birthday, Mikoto-chan."

"Hey, where's my hug, squirt?" Someone spoke from Neji's side.

Mikoto glanced over to see two more people along with her uncle. "Aunt Hanabi! And Grandpa!" As soon as the names were released, she flung her body at them with her arms wrapping around their necks. They both hugged her back with smiles on their faces.

"Happy birthday, my granddaughter." Hiashi murmured allowing the delicate girl to be held fully in his youngest daughter's arms.

"Thank you, grandpa!"

Hanabi smiled mischievously at her niece. "How old are you now, Mikoto-chan? Twenty, right?"

Mikoto gave her aunt a look of disbelief. "I'm only six, aunt Hanabi!"

"Oh, that's right. You just look so grown up, you had me confused."

"Do I really?" That same hopeful spark gleamed in her dark gray eyes. "Do I look like mommy yet?"

This time, it was Hiashi who spoke for the trio of Hyugas. He stepped closer to place a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You're looking more like her as every day passes." He smiled gently with an obvious glint of love shining from his white eyes.

"Yay!" she shouted happily and jumped down from Hanabi's arms so she could twirl in front of them showing off her new dress. "Do you like my dress? Mommy bought it for me yesterday!"

"Really?" Neji knelt down in front of her. "Well, it does look beautiful on you."

"Yeah, totally." Hanabi chimed in as they all entered the house together. "You should wear purple more often, Mikoto-chan."

"Okay! Oh! Mama bought Nii-nii new clothes too! Come see, come see!" she slipped one hand in Neji's and one in her grandfather's and practically dragged them towards the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, a knock sounded at the front door making Mikoto run in excitement to go answer it. The three Hyugas were left in the kitchen to be greeted by the other two Uchihas. Normally, Riku would greet Neji in pure happiness, but due to previous happenings, the little boy was more withdrawn and only stared at his relatives.

Hinata walked quickly over to them and met her sister halfway to exchange hugs. They backed away and smiled carelessly. "Hanabi-chan, how are you doing?"

The younger sighed. "I can see why you refused the job of being the Hyuga head, Hina-chan. It's freaking exhausting." She began to shake her finger as if teaching a lesson. "Too many complaints in one day makes Hanabi-sama very temperamental."

Hinata laughed in response while envisioning her short-tempered sister in her mind along with a few complainers.

"It's not a pretty sight, believe me." Neji added in exchanging glares with the young Hyuga head.

Hiashi only sighed seemingly used to their behavior. He never had a son, but he could easily imagine he'd get along with Hanabi the same way Neji got along with her; it was non-stop arguing. They were just too much alike, and it was always Hinata who had to play mediator. "Nonetheless, she's taking care of the clan in much the same way as you had always planned, my daughter."

Hinata bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely. "I'm glad…Oh!" She turned away from them to smile encouragingly at her son. "Riku, come say hello."

The young boy frowned for a second before approaching them cautiously. "Uh…hi grandpa, aunt Hanabi…uncle Neji."

Hanabi went over to him and mussed through his hair making him cringe. "Hey, little punk. Happy birthday. Nice suit, by the way." She laughed and eyed Hinata. "What are you trying to do, Hina-chan? Isn't he a little young to be wearing a suit?"

"Oh, well, um…I think he looks cute in it."

"Mom!" Riku complained a little above a whisper. "Boys aren't supposed to be cute!"

"Sorry," she bent over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek making his face redden. "You're very handsome. Is that better?"

He lowered his gaze to the floor in even more embarrassment. "You're treating me like a baby again…"

"That's not true." Hinata touched her finger to her lip in thought.

"You don't kiss uncle Neji or grandpa because they're grown up…"

"That's not true either." She smiled. "Your uncle and grandfather aren't babies, but giving them a kiss doesn't mean that they become babies. Watch…" she walked over and placed a kiss on Neji's cheek before planting another one on her father's. "See? They're not babies."

"Mama, mama!" Mikoto yelled running into the kitchen again with her hands dragging more people. "Look who's here, mama! Look!"

Coming in from behind Mikoto was the sheepishly smiling Naruto, the blushing Akio, and the laughing Sakura. Hinata had a feeling that every guest was going to be dragged into her kitchen like this as long as her daughter was the one answering the door.

* * *

The sound of metal clanging together along with the night being lit up by large bursts of fire was all that could be heard and seen from the chosen clearing. Kunais and shuriken were embedded into the ground and trees, as they were no longer any use to the Uchiha brothers. Instead, they were primarily using their various jutsus as weapons. From a battle of aim with kunai and shuriken, it became a battle of whose jutsu was stronger, better, and more effective.

At this point, they were releasing their fireball jutsus on each other matching strength for strength. When they both died down at the same time, it was shocking to see that both of them were slightly out of breath, but not so much as to appear noticeable.

Just as Sasuke raised his hand up to his mouth to start it all over again, Itachi spoke up with a mocking tone. "I wonder how your family would feel, what they would say, what expressions they would have…"

Sasuke froze in his movements and listened.

Itachi's mouth quirked upward sadistically. "If you were to die this day." He chuckled quietly to himself. "If I remember correctly, your children were born on this day six years ago just as you were twenty-seven years ago. Imagine the look on their faces when they find out that their father died on their birthday."

Sasuke tightened his face into a deep scowl.

"What an interesting birthday present that would be."

"Shut up." Sasuke interrupted him feeling his blood boil with rage. He raised his hands to perform a few more hand signs as he lowered his body into a fighting position. "There's no way I'm going to die today."

"Hmm…What a change from back then." Itachi muttered to himself even though he knew that Sasuke could hear him clearly. "When you were younger, you pleaded with me to not kill you. Now…you're making sure I don't kill you."

"It was bound to happen eventually, right? Isn't that why you spared me?" Sasuke retorted angrily.

"_I needed to find a worthy opponent to test the limits of my own abilities."_

"Yes, but your attempt now is ultimately pointless." Itachi paused letting his sharingan spin lazily. "You don't even have the Mangekyo. Why bother fighting me without it?"

"I don't need it." Sasuke replied with a surprising calmness. "I found many things of more importance."

Itachi knew what the "many things" were that Sasuke was talking about—his family and friends. "But…they won't keep you alive now."

In a whisper, Sasuke replied with his head lowered. "You'd be surprised what they're capable of."

"Hn, so you think. Do you really believe that your important people made you as strong as you are?"

Now, it was Sasuke's turn to smirk. "The only reason that I am able to keep up with you now is because I've been sparring with someone."

"Oh, and who is this someone?" He asked sounding completely uninterested.

Sasuke's smirk didn't disappear. "My best friend. The very one I was supposed to kill in order to gain the same power as you."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in a frown.

His smirk finally disappeared to be replaced by a more solemn appeal. _"I'm always going to be there for you even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome…That's what big brothers are for." _"I can gain strength from those around me because they _want _to help me get stronger. I used to think the same of you all those years ago."

The older Uchiha's brow raised even though it didn't really surprise him.

Sasuke's tone turned more bitter now. "But now…You're nothing but an empty shell of the brother I once had."

_"I have acted like the older brother you desired for one reason. Because I wanted to discover how powerful you were."_

"_It's all for my own benefit."_

Sasuke's hands shook with rage as he stared at his brother with nothing but animosity. "You killed our clan."

_"I have no hope left for this pathetic clan."_

"You killed mother and father."

_"From now on, walk your own path, not in the footsteps of your brother."_

"You did it all for yourself."

_"To test the limits of my ability."_

"You threatened to hurt Hinata and my children, my family…"

"_Once you're dead, I will give her the pleasure of knowing what it's really like to give birth to the true heirs of the Sharingan and Byakugan bloodlines."_

Sasuke glared up at his brother with fury in his sharingan eyes. "It stops here."

With that, the battle began once again. Except, this time, both brothers were fighting with every ounce of strength they possessed.

* * *

Everyone clapped as they finished singing the birthday song and watched as Mikoto and Riku blew out the candles on their cake. Ino laughed while her hand absently rested over her stomach, which wasn't even rounded yet. "Did you two make a wish?"

Mikoto nodded fervently and leaned forward against the table. "I did, I did! I wished that—"

"You're not supposed to tell what you wished for, Miko-chan." Riku lightly scolded her. "Otherwise, it won't come true."

"Oh…but…" She gazed at her brother with bright, shiny eyes. "I want everyone to know what I wished for…"

"Fine." Riku sighed and crossed his arms. "Go ahead and tell, but it's not going to come true."

She pouted and watched as her mother came over to slice the cake. Before her mother could start, Mikoto tugged on Hinata's shirt.

"Hm?" Hinata smiled and knelt down to her daughter's level. "What's wrong, Mikoto?"

Mikoto motioned for her mother to come closer so she could whisper in her ear. "Mama, can I please tell you what I wished for? It will still come true if I only tell one person, right?"

Hinata's brows lowered to match her sad smile. "Sure, sweetie."

The little girl beamed and whispered again. "I wished that daddy would come home."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, and she was fighting the urge to not let her tears well up in her opal orbs. Instead, she pulled away and gave her daughter a heartwarming smile. "That's a great wish, Mikoto."

"Do you think it will come true, mama?"

She bit her lip and nodded hesitantly. "Of course, sweetie, of course."

"Hina-chan!" Ino whined. "You should hurry up and cut that cake—I'm drooling over here!"

"Me too." Choji added in wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.

Sakura glared at her friend with a smirk. "Geez, Ino-pig, your nickname really describes you now more than ever."

Ino glared back. "If I remember correctly, billboard-brow, you ate a hell of a lot more than me!"

Sakura laughed mockingly. "Oh please! Don't be so—"

"If anything," Hinata interrupted in an attempt to calm the soon-to-be fight. "I ate the most out of all of us." She smiled while cutting the cake into perfect square pieces. "So, really, I should be nicknamed the pig."

Ino and Sakura's growing anger suddenly deflated in a sigh. The blonde one smiled at her timid friend. "Hina-chan, that's not fair. You ate more because you were feeding twins."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "And if anything, you should be nicknamed the mediator."

Not too surprisingly, everyone in the room agreed to that. Fights around Hinata were just plain non-existent. It might begin, but could never finish as long as Hinata was present.

As the cake was being distributed, Neji took this time to approach Riku. He chose the seat next to Riku and sat down without a noise. Mikoto was sitting on Riku's other side with Akio next to her, and the little blonde boy seemed to be keeping her quite busy with conversation. As for Riku, he was silently eating his cake with vigor. Normally, he didn't really have a taste for sweets, but anything homemade by his mother was always an exception. It was because he was so engrossed in his cake that he didn't notice who had come to sit next to him.

"Riku," Neji called his attention without getting anyone else to glance over in their direction.

The young boy met his uncle's eyes and couldn't stop the disappointed frown from forming onto his face. "What is it, uncle Neji?"

The Hyuga sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "I don't blame you for being angry with me."

"I'm not angry." He interrupted rebelliously.

"Yes, you are. Or, at least, you were when I told you that I couldn't train you anymore."

"It doesn't matter anymore…"

Neji regarded his nephew noticing that he wasn't as distraught as he was the previous day. "You're fine with it now?"

"Yeah…" he showed off a small smile. "Plus, mom's going to be training me now. She said she's going to teach me a few moves that _you_ don't even know about."

"Really?" Now, Neji was curious. He thought he knew all of Hinata's moves, so what has she been hiding? "Hmm…interesting."

"I can't wait. It's gonna be so cool; I've never seen mom fight before."

Neji smirked amusedly. "She's quite a sight to see when she's determined."

Riku didn't reply to that and only stared at Neji in curiosity.

The Hyuga exhaled deeply before looking at Riku again with a stern expression. "I never got to really explain my reasoning to you the other day. In fact, you stormed off before I could finish."

"I told you it doesn't matter anymore, uncle Neji. Mom explained it to me."

"She did?" he questioned surprisingly.

"Yup. I thought you were mad at me, but mom said that you're busy and you didn't abandon me."

"Is that all?"

Riku stared at him strangely before giving a slow nod.

"That's not the main reason why I decided not to train you anymore, Riku."

"It's not?"

"No," Neji moved closer to Riku and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm your uncle, Riku, and I will always be there for you should you ever need me. However…I need you to know that I can _never _replace your father." He paused shortly while watching the display of emotions on Riku's face. "I'm not your father, Riku, and I could never be your father."

Riku lowered his solemn gaze to the table. "I know…" he whispered. "I just wanted to know what it was like to have a father…"

Neji smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. With a small chuckle, he placed his palm on top of Riku's head. "You will know what that's like. And I have a feeling that you're going to get along with your father more than you think."

"I doubt it."

Neji's smile grew a little wider. "As much as I hate to admit this, he's the best one for the job of being your father. Also, I think it's in thanks to you and your mother and sister that he possesses the strength he has now."

* * *

Sasuke inhaled a sharp intake of breath as he felt a stinging pain against his jaw. Before he knew it, he was flying through the air until he hit against a nearby tree, which only resulted in the air getting knocked out of his lungs. His back slid down the trunk of the tree gaining gashes from the bark digging into his skin. His vision was blurred, but he could feel all too well.

Blood streamed down the sides of his face and out of the corners of his mouth. In fact, his whole body was releasing some amount of blood onto his clothes and the ground below him. He wouldn't be surprised if his own blood had completely soaked every inch of his clothes. However, none of that mattered to him at the moment. In fact, his gashing wounds were of more importance. Even as he struggled to get back up, his eyes blurred in dizziness, which signaled that he had lost more blood than he should have. He wasn't a medical ninja, but even he knew that if he lost anymore blood…he wouldn't be lasting much longer.

It was at least comforting to know that he had landed a few hits on his brother making him bleed, but not as profusely as Sasuke was currently.

Gripping his katana tightly, Sasuke slowly stood up and trudged his way through the mud back into the clearing. When he entered, his brother stood there with his breath becoming visible in the freezing rain and his hand gripping onto his own katana. Glancing over the older Uchiha, one could see the deep wounds he carried and his blood blending in with the red clouds on his cloak.

Amongst the waves of rain, Itachi readied his katana by his side and glared at his younger brother. "You may have lasted awhile, but you can not win this. What's the point, Sasuke?"

Sasuke inhaled and exhaled heavily while trying to steady his trembling grip on his weapon. His other hand was covering up a deep wound on his side. "The point? I am not going to stop until you're dead and I know for sure that my family will not be threatened by you ever again."

Itachi shook his head in obvious disappointment. "You know…having a heart is more trouble than it's worth."

"Says the person who's never had a heart to begin with." Sasuke replied quickly.

This brought an odd smirk to Itachi's face, and his eyes flickered with an emotion the younger Uchiha couldn't catch. "Hn. Can't disagree with you there." Within the next second, Itachi disappeared and reappeared at Sasuke's side getting ready to slice right through his brother.

Luckily, Sasuke's sharingan picked up the movement and blocked just in time. With the blades of their katanas grinding against each other, Itachi continued with a face void of any emotion. "A heart can make you do foolish things."

Sasuke grunted as he pushed his blade harder. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes," Itachi pushed forward before flipping over backwards a few feet away from Sasuke. "It'll make you sacrifice everything for someone…" he watched as Sasuke charged him and their blades exchanged hits once again while they moved around the clearing looking like flashes of lightning themselves. "Just to give them a reason, a chance to overcome their greatest obstacle."

Sasuke bit back a cry of pain when Itachi's blade cut into his upper arm only a few centimeters below his tattoo. He was now kneeling on the ground clutching his bleeding arm. His eyes soon widened when his katana was kicked away from his hands and the blade of his brother's katana was held to his throat. His eyes drifted up to scowl heatedly into the eyes of his older brother.

Itachi let his blade slice over Sasuke's skin, but not enough to penetrate the first layer. "A heart will make you do drastic things…just to give that person a simple push." His sharingan began to change right before Sasuke's eyes. He didn't even need to guess in order to know what was forming in Itachi's eyes, for it was the Mangekyo sharingan. "Tell me, little brother…What can your heart do for you now?"

Sasuke didn't have a chance to open his mouth before he was sucked into the world of Tsukuyomi. At once, his world turned red with black rain falling around him to match the black moon in the bloody sky. Unlike the first time his brother used that technique on him, he was alone…utterly alone.

At least, that was until he could hear whimpers and cries of pain. Looking around him, he was finally able to see the torture soon to come. There Hinata stood looking at him with a sorrowful pleading in her white eyes.

Seeing her, he wanted to run to her and hold her in his arms, but that wasn't allowed since he couldn't even move. He watched as his brother appeared before her, and he couldn't look away no matter how much he wanted to. Sasuke was forced to watch Itachi cut into Hinata causing her lifeless form to fall to the ground in a bloody mess.

Sasuke yelled and writhed in his spot while his hands clutched his head in inner pain. "No! Hinata!"

The image disappeared only for it to start all over again. He continued to watch helplessly as Hinata fell to the ground dead again and again. Each time, she would plead for Sasuke to save her, but he couldn't move a muscle. All he could do…was scream in agony. "Stop it, Itachi! Stop! Don't touch her! Leave her alone! Stop it! Stop!"

Her blood began to drench him staining his hands with her death.

And all he could do was watch and cry.

* * *

Hinata waved goodbye to all her friends and relatives as they left the house. The party had ended and her home had suddenly become a lot quieter. When the last person had exited through the front door, Hinata walked around the house to check on her children's whereabouts.

She peeked into the twins' room and saw them playing with their new presents. A smile made it's way onto her lips as she entered the room, which caught their attention immediately. "It's time for bed, you two."

"Aww, but mama!" Mikoto whined with a cute pout on her face. "I wanna play with my dollies some more…"

"Yeah, and I still want to read this new jutsu book that uncle Neji bought me." Riku added in from his seat on the bed with the book in his small hands.

Hinata merely giggled and went over to collect their items. "You'll have plenty of time to play and read tomorrow. You have school in the morning, and I'm sure you don't want to be falling asleep in class, right?"

Mikoto pouted some more, but eventually climbed onto her bed.

Riku grimaced at his mother's last statement while he pushed aside his covers. "Yeah…Tenten-sensei gets really scary whenever she catches someone sleeping in class."

Once Mikoto was settled into her bed, she spoke up. "Akio-kun gets caught all the time." she laughed as Hinata made her way to her bedside to tuck her in. "Tenten-sensei gets very scary."

"Well, then, it's best you get to sleep now, huh?" Hinata smiled warmly and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead before walking over to Riku's bedside to tuck him in as well.

Riku allowed his mother to give him a kiss on his forehead as he snuggled into his blankets. "We're going to train tomorrow after school, right mom? You promised you would."

"Of course. I'll pick you two up after school and we'll head to the training grounds right away, okay?" She watched as Riku's eyes lit up in excitement, so she quickly held up her finger. "On one condition,"

Riku's excited face dropped in an instant. "What?"

Hinata's smile turned sly. "Once we finish training, I want all your chores and homework done before dinner. That goes for you too, Mikoto."

"Okay, mama!" Mikoto agreed with a bright smile.

"Yes, mother." Riku grudgingly agreed.

Hinata smiled once more before getting up and stopping at the doorway to their room. "Goodnight sweeties." Her hand rested on the light switch and turned it off.

"Goodnight, mama!"

"G'night, mom."

With that, Hinata left the room making sure to crack the door just how they liked it.

Once that was confirmed, she locked up the rest of the house and entered her own bedroom and began to put on her pajamas.

She fastened the last button on her top before turning off the lights and settling into her large bed. As soon as she was comfortable, she turned on her side to face the empty side of the bed, which was where Sasuke usually slept. Her hand reached out to stroke the pillow, where his head used to lay, before she pulled the whole pillow close to her chest. She breathed in the scent of the pillow, and could faintly smell the leftover scent of her husband. Even after six years, it was still there…but barely.

Hinata could only hope that he would return before his scent faded completely.

_Sasuke…wherever you are…please know that I'll always wait for you to come back…always…  
__

* * *

_

Sasuke's limp body fell to the muddy ground at Itachi's feet. In only a matter of minutes, Sasuke had endured seven days of watching his love be killed over and over and over again. As a result, he now lay on the ground with the rain pouring down on him endlessly; he was motionless and his eyes appeared devoid of life entirely. Physical death was nothing compared to the kind of death he felt at the moment.

He felt so lost…so empty…so hopeless…

"Hina…Hinata…" He breathed soundlessly.

"You see, foolish little brother? What good comes from having a heart if all it gives you is weakness?" Itachi muttered holding his katana against Sasuke's neck.

Itachi's words were a hum in the back of Sasuke's mind. His focus was on his own self-hatred, his own uselessness. _What was all this for? Why can I never be strong enough? How can I protect my family if…if I'm so weak? I thought I was strong enough…Where's my strength? Did I even have strength to begin with? I'm only a failure… _His eyes closed in defeat.

_"Sasuke…"_

He could hear her heavenly voice so perfectly.

_"Sasuke…"_

Everything she had ever said to him flashed through his mind.

_"You have a really high fever, so I'm going to stay here by your side until it's gone. I promise."_

_"You, Sasuke…you are important to me…" _

_"I…love…everything…about you…" _

_"C-Could I…s-stay with you…?" _

_"Y-Yes…I will m-marry you…" _

_"I love you, Sasuke…only and always you."_

_"I don't care as long as it's with you. I love you so much, Sasuke."_

_"Don't leave me…"_

"_I want…our children to…see their father on the day they're born…" _

"_I want our children to…know their father…and…I want their father to see them…grow up…"_

_"Aren't they beautiful, Sasuke?"_

Before he knew it, he was brought back to the words she spoke to him the night he left his home and family.

_"I d-don't want to l-lose you."_

_"You'll come b-back to me…won't you?"_

_"I'll wait for you…I promise…Sasuke…"_

Itachi lifted up his katana in a position ready to kill his younger brother. "Normally, I would leave you here to wallow in your own self-pity. But…you did say this was a fight to the death."

"_I love you, Sasuke…I'll wait for you…" _Sasuke's eyes snapped open.

"It's over now, foolish little brother." Itachi swung his blade aiming for Sasuke's throat.

The sound of a blade penetrating flesh followed by a startled gasp sounded through the air.

Trickles of blood dripped down Sasuke's throat, but his eyes stayed solely on the man above him, and his hands were steady.

Itachi's eyes widened before drifting down to his chest, where he saw his brother's katana embedded straight into his body. Blood slowly began to soak his clothes surrounding the vital wound, the one that declared Itachi Uchiha's death. He could only blink as he collapsed onto his knees before falling onto his back.

Sasuke removed his katana at the same time he heard Itachi's katana fall to the ground next to him. The blade had only begun to slice into his throat before Sasuke plunged his own weapon into the chest of his brother.

Now, Itachi lay on the ground with his blood starting to form a puddle around him. His eyes changed back to his normal onyx color, and they stayed wide open.

Sasuke gulped down a breath and shakily knelt next to his brother's dying body.

Itachi was staring at the stormy sky above him as he was continually pelted with rain. His breathing was heavy and raspy as his own blood was drowning his lungs.

For awhile, Sasuke couldn't believe what he was seeing. His older brother was actually the one dying—not him. He had actually done what he had always sought to do in his life. He really couldn't believe it. All he did, instead, was stare in emotional confusion at Itachi's face, which remained relatively emotionless even close to death.

Sasuke shook his head and fisted his hands into the mud. "Why? Why did you do it, Itachi? None of this would've happened if you didn't destroy our clan! So why? Why!"

_"I have no hope left for this pathetic clan."_

"_To test the limits of my ability."_

"_It's all for my own benefit."_

Itachi swallowed even though blood was still streaming from the corner of his mouth. In a hoarse tone, he answered. "Haven't you caught on yet, Sasuke?"

Sasuke froze and gazed at his brother forlornly.

"Our clan was near destruction even without my assistance. It was dying and becoming corrupt in the ways of power and pride. I had to put an end to it."

"You could've changed it!" Sasuke couldn't help but yell. "You were going to lead our clan after father! You could've changed all of that!"

"No…That was one thing I couldn't do. You were the only one capable of doing that."

"What…?"

Itachi trailed his eyes over to see Sasuke's face. "But, you couldn't do that unless you realized how corrupt our clan was. And…you couldn't do that as long as I was there."

"So you murdered the entire clan, made yourself my enemy just for that?!"

"It wasn't just for the clan." The corner of Itachi's mouth twitched upward. "I told you I wanted a worthy opponent. You had the potential; you just couldn't find your strength."

"Why…"

"Every great shinobi desires a worthy death against a worthy adversary. Who better to kill me than you, the shadow behind the prodigy?"

_"You probably hate me, huh? Being the best isn't all it's cracked up to be. When you have power, you become arrogant and isolated from the world."_

_"I gave you the desire to kill me. I made you hate me."_

Itachi inhaled a raspy breath before continuing. This time, he turned his gaze back to the sky above him, which looked as though it was starting to let up a little. "You finally found your strength, little brother. I was right in choosing to threaten your family, your wife in particular. I see now that you could never have defeated me on vengeance alone."

Sasuke halted his movements in complete shock. His eyes were wide as everything began to click in his mind. "All that…What you did to Hinata…It was all just for me so I could find the strength to kill you?"

"Hmm…" Itachi smirked lightly. "You're finally catching on."

Sasuke was shaking his head again until he finally lowered his gaze with his bangs shadowing his eyes. "Why…? Why did it have to be this way?!"

"I told you…" Itachi breathed. "You know why."

_"But with us, it's different because you and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome…even if you hate me."_

Itachi's eyes became half-lidded as his life slipped away. "That's what…big brothers…are…for…"

Sasuke's bottom lip trembled as he knew that his older brother was officially dead. Much against what his mind was telling him, his fists pounded on the ground in anger while something significant escaped from his eyes. "Itachi…big brother…"

Death had claimed Itachi Uchiha, and all that was noticeable on his face…was a few teardrops…which did not belong to him.

* * *

**That took longer than I thought. Hopefully, you guys liked it. I was a little iffy about it, so please tell me if it was okay. Please? Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You have no idea how much that got me going to finish this. Oh, and I think there are a few more chapters until this ends, so…see ya next update! Please Review!**


	19. Homecoming

**Author Note: **Some of you have been asking me about **Possession** and when I will be updating it. In case you haven't seen the note on my profile, then the reason is because I'm going to finish The Final Lullaby before I finish that one. This story is so close to being done and over with, so just please be patient with me! Thank you!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**

* * *

**

**Homecoming**

**_One week later…_**

"Hey, Neji!" Kiba called over, along with Akamaru's bark, to the Hyuga standing near the open gate entrance to the village.

Neji turned at hearing his name called, but didn't express any emotion. He merely nodded in Kiba's direction also taking notice of Shikamaru walking alongside the dog boy. To any normal person, it would've been difficult to make out their features in the dark of night, but Neji was a Hyuga after all. Not to mention, Kiba seemed to announce his arrival with loud exclamations, not unlike a certain hokage they all knew.

As Kiba and Shikamaru walked toward Neji, the Hyuga relaxed his alert body stature from his position against the large open gates. His arms remained folded over his chest, but his eyes and ears weren't so incredibly attuned to everything around him. His byakugan also deactivated since he had just finished a quick sweep of the area around him.

Kiba and Shikamaru stopped when they were about a foot away from Neji, and the Inuzuka leaned against his large dog as he smirked at the man in front of him. "So, what's an ANBU captain doing on guard duty? Shouldn't you be out on some top-secret classified mission?"

Neji scoffed and retained his own smirk. "If only. Unfortunately, Naruto informed me that there has been a low fluctuation of high-rank missions lately. I'd rather be doing guard duty than some D-rank mission, where I'd have to hunt down someone's lost cat."

Both men grimaced at that. Shikamaru sighed and gazed up into the starlit sky. "Yeah, I remember those troublesome days."

Kiba laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, the third hokage made sure to not give our team those type of missions. Hinata-chan may have been able to find them easily, but the cats would've been mauled as long as Akamaru was with us. We had to do a lot of gardening and cleaning during our early genin days instead."

Neji grunted. "Hn, so what are you two doing here anyway? Were you so bored you had to come pester me?"

"Actually," Shikamaru answered before Kiba could make an angry retort. "It's our shift now, so you and whoever you're with can go on and head home."

"Hmm…Very well." Neji nodded shortly and stepped a few feet outside the gate before looking up the walls to the very top of the Konoha wall. "Lee! Get down here, our shift is over!" he called up and walked back towards the other two men.

In only a second, Lee had jumped down and joined the group with that ever-present grin on his face. At seeing Kiba and Shikamaru, he saluted them. "Reporting for duty!"

Neji sighed in aggravation. "No, you're not reporting for duty. We're done for the night, so go home. I'm sure your wife is expecting you."

"Ah, my lovely Tenten!" Lee's eyes glistened at the mere thought of his wife. "I am most joyous to go see my sweet flower!"

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Then why haven't you left yet?"

"Because," Lee closed his eyes while raising a finger as if teaching a lesson. "I have not greeted my friends yet." He opened his eyes and smiled widely at the only ones who did not belong to his team. "It is good to see you Kiba, Shikamaru, and Akamaru. What a glorious day it is for us all to be gathered here together and…"

The other three tuned him out while giving each other knowing glances. Kiba opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by his canine companion, who started growling into the dense darkness outside of the gates. "Huh? What is it, buddy?" Kiba glanced between Akamaru and the entire area stretching out towards the dense forest beyond the Konoha borders. "You sense someone approaching huh?"

Lee quieted immediately and looked towards the direction that Kiba and Shikamaru were now looking. The lazy genius didn't look too interested and only shoved his hands in his pockets. "Someone's coming this late at night?"

Neji lowered his brows and silently activated his byakugan. As soon as he did that, he spotted a dark figure walking quite sluggishly towards them. There also seemed to be something large that the figure was carrying. His eyes narrowed before widening in recognition. "It can't be…"

Kiba sped alongside Akamaru until they were definitely outside the gates. Akamaru was sniffing and making whining noises to his master. The Inuzuka could only stare into the darkness, which blinded him from seeing what Neji and Akamaru could see clearly. "Who is it, Akamaru? You know who it is, right?"

The large dog gave a definitive bark in reply.

"Who is it?" Lee questioned while absently settling into a battle stance. "Is it an enemy? Or is it possibly a fellow ninja from our village?"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's probably just some jonin returning after a mission. Nothing to get worked up about."

"No," Neji interrupted them and watched as the figure nearly came into view. "He's returned. He's actually alive."

"What? Who, Neji? Who do you see?" Lee ran up next to Kiba to try to get a better look.

The Hyuga stayed silent and only deactivated his byakugan as he walked towards the approaching person.

In only a few more steps, the figure came into view with the half-moon lighting his features. He stopped and gazed at them wearily until he settled on Neji. "Hyuga…"

Neji nodded. "Uchiha. You've returned."

Sasuke lowered his head as he struggled to keep a grip on what he was carrying over his shoulder, which was bound up in dirty white cloth so they couldn't tell what it was. "Hinata…Where is she? Where is Hinata?" he paused to take a deep breath. "Where…" Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed onto the ground.

All four men ran up to him at once. Neji knelt near him and separated the cargo from the carrier. "Uchiha. Uchiha, wake up." When shaking him wouldn't work, he cursed and stared intensely at the others. "We need to get him to the hospital—he's in terrible shape."

Lee knelt down on Sasuke's other side taking notice of the many gashes on his body. "Neji, these are serious wounds."

"I know that. Inuzuka, help me load him onto Akamaru so we can get him to the hospital quickly. Lee, you and Nara can take whatever the hell that is." He motioned to the large bundle that looked suspiciously like a body.

Shikamaru bent over the clothed cargo and slowly undraped it revealing a face, which made his eyes widen. "Is this…?"

Neji glanced over seeing the dead body at Shikamaru's feet. Recognizing the face, his own eyes widened as well. "Itachi Uchiha. Well…he actually managed to kill him."

"What do you want to do with the body then?" Shikamaru asked while he watched Neji and Kiba place Sasuke onto Akamaru's back.

Neji could only shrug. "We'll carry him to the hospital with us, I suppose. They should have a morgue there to store his body in. Meanwhile, Lee—go get Naruto."

Lee saluted again with urgency written all over his face. "Understood." He spoke and ran off down the road toward the hokage tower.

Neji and Kiba turned to start running off with Akamaru in-between them. Shikamaru stayed behind. "I'll stay here. When you see Naruto, tell him to get some other shinobi to come guard the gate."

"Sure thing!" Kiba hollered before they disappeared down the main road with two Uchihas on Akamaru's back.

As the Inuzuka ran with his dog and the Hyuga, he couldn't help but question. "Shouldn't we tell Hinata-chan about this?"

"Not yet. We need to get him healed up first before any of that. If Hinata sees Sasuke like this…it probably would do more bad than good."

"Right…But still…" Even though they were talking, neither of them turned towards each other at any time. "We should tell Hinata-chan once he's in the clear."

"I know…She's been waiting for six years. She's the only one who actually believed wholeheartedly that he'd come back alive. The least any of us could do is make sure he stays alive before we tell her."

"Yeah…"

* * *

Sakura sighed as she sat down on a chair in the hospital lounge room with her cup of coffee in hand. Across from her sat her blonde friend, who was smirking arrogantly. The pink-haired medic glared in return before sipping her hot beverage. "I know the hospital has been running kind of slowly, so don't tell me you just came here to rub your days off in my face."

Ino laughed and ran her fingertip over the rim of her own cup of java. "Nah. Actually, I talked to Tsunade-sama about that. Hina-chan told me that I'm doing really well in my pregnancy, so until I reach my third trimester Tsunade-sama is going to let me come back to work."

Sakura gaped. "You actually _want _to come to work?" She whistled lowly. "Never thought I'd see the day…"

"Oh, shut up, billboard-brow. I get bored, okay? And not everyone is a workaholic like you."

"I am not a workaholic!" Sakura defended with her hand tightening around her coffee cup. "I just enjoy my work, okay?"

"Yeah…right." Ino rolled her eyes.

"If I'm a workaholic, then so is Hina-chan."

The blonde raised a brow. "Oh, please. Hina-chan is more devoted than anything. Unlike you, she really does love her job, but at least she knows when to back off a little. Work is not her number one priority. Her kids are."

"So, are you saying that Akio-chan isn't my number one priority?" Sakura challenged.

"If he was, you'd be home with him right now. But you're not, and he's…where exactly?"

"With Naruto." Her lips thinned into a line as she tried to calm her rising anger. "For your information, those two boys wanted to hang out together today, so I took advantage of it in order to get in a few more hours."

"Uh huh. Anyway, do you know where Tsunade-sama is? I thought she'd be here."

"Nope." Sakura answered now that she was calm once again. "Now that she's only the big boss of the hospital, she's relishing the moments she has off. If I had to guess, she's probably home sleeping right now."

Ino laughed with a nod of her head. "I wouldn't doubt it. And Hina-chan is most likely at home…" She glanced at her watch quickly. "Putting the twins to sleep."

"The twins are probably already asleep." Sakura sipped at her drink once more. "It is almost midnight. Damn, I hate these late-night shifts…"

Ino smiled victoriously. "Then you're lucky that I am so generous as to take time away from my busy life in order to keep you company."

Sakura gazed at her blankly. "Right…busy life…sure."

"What—you don't believe me?" Ino gave her a mock expression of hurt.

Sakura shook her head. "I remember pregnancy. The only thing you're busy with is going to the bathroom every couple minutes to go pee or throw up."

"Ugh, don't remind me…" Ino groaned while resting a hand over her stomach.

In that short moment of silence, the door to the room burst open revealing one of the nurses, who looked like she was about to have a heart-attack. "S-S-Sakura-san…emergency…up front…hurry!"

Sakura's eyes widened and she jolted out of her seat immediately with Ino following closely behind.

As the three women ran down the hall toward the main lobby, Sakura tried to get information out of the nurse next to her. "What's going on?"

The nurse gulped audibly. "Well, it's…um…you see…"

"Spit it out!" Sakura harshly replied.

She winced. "Hyuga-san and Inuzuka-san are here with somebody they brought from the entrance gates. A-Apparently, it's a fellow ninja, who got badly injured."

"And you haven't put him in a room yet?"

"No, ma'am. I thought I should come get you first."

Sakura shook her head as they neared the main entrance. She was about to ask for information of the injured person, but that was soon answered once she saw the body lying on top of Akamaru. Both her and Ino gasped loudly. "Sasuke-kun!"

Neji stepped forward. "He's badly injured. He's also been in and out of consciousness the entire run here. Also, you have a morgue here, right?"

"Uh…yeah." Sakura nodded not taking her eyes off of Sasuke's trembling body. "Down in the basement—why?"

"We also have Itachi Uchiha's dead body with us."

Ino raised her brows in surprise. "Sasuke-kun finally killed him." After clearing her head of her dazed thoughts, she turned business-like. "Okay, Kiba? Help me take Itachi's body down to the morgue. Sakura, take care of Sasuke-kun."

"You didn't have to say anything, I was already planning on it." Sakura became serious at once. "Neji-san, please help me put Sasuke-kun on one of the beds. Hurry, let's get started!"

As soon as Sasuke's body was lowered onto the hospital bed, he was immediately hooked up to so much equipment that only a medic would know its purpose. A few nurses accompanied Sakura into the emergency room, which relieved the pink-haired med-nin to know that she actually had some assistance since Tsunade—the head of the hospital—and Hinata and Ino, the head medical ninjas, were currently off duty, even though Ino was in fact present.

"How are his vitals?" Sakura asked absently as she began healing certain wounds on his body once his clothes were removed to be replaced only by a sheet.

"They're not looking too good, Sakura-san." One of the nurses replied. "His heart rate is…well, going a little too fast. He's unconscious, but still completely stressing out for some reason."

"What do you expect?" Sakura muttered not taking her eyes or hands away from Sasuke's injuries. "He just killed the infamous Itachi Uchiha. Who knows what his mind had to go through…" She trailed off remembering the last time Sasuke underwent Itachi's mind torture.

* * *

After placing Itachi's body in the morgue, Ino and Kiba quickly ran down the halls until they located the emergency room, which contained Sasuke Uchiha. The door was closed obviously, and Neji was the only one out in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded calmly over his chest. In fact, his whole appearance seemed calm, but his knotted brow stated otherwise.

In his mind, all he could think about was the chance of the Uchiha not pulling through. Or even if he was just vitally injured, the consequences weren't going to be pleasant. Neji could already envision different scenarios of him having to break the news to his loving cousin. What made his lips tighten into a thin line was the amount of heartache he would see on Hinata's face and the tears that would follow shortly. At this point, all Neji could do was pray to whatever God was out there that the Uchiha would be fine. It's the least Hinata deserved.

As soon as Ino and Kiba seated themselves down on the bench on the opposite side of the hallway, their silent thoughts were all interrupted by two loud voices coming from down the hallway.

"Where is he?" The blonde hokage yelled as he ran alongside Lee.

The green-clad ninja held a sort of seriousness that all of them had only seen in battle. "I have brought Naruto-kun. What else needs to be done?"

Neji straightened from his position and nodded to his hokage. "Naruto, has Lee briefed you?"

Naruto came to a halt just outside of the ER door. Most of his attention was looking through the slender window trying to catch a glimpse of his best friend. When he couldn't see anything but frantically moving nurses, he stepped away and faced Neji with a solemn expression. "Lee just told me that Sasuke arrived at the gates and you all took him here."

"That's right."

"And also…" Naruto looked down at the floor while his fists shook at his sides. "He brought Itachi's body." He gulped before looking straight into the Hyuga's eyes. "Which means that bastard is dead, right?"

Kiba answered before Neji. "Sure is. We put the body down in the morgue. Frankly, I'm surprised that Sasuke actually killed him."

Naruto sighed in relief before becoming business-like once again. "Neji, tomorrow morning I want you to take a few ANBU specialists to analyze Itachi's body. I want a full report from it as soon as possible. Although, I don't think we should really do anything about the disposal of the body until Sasuke's up and running. He'll decide what's to be done about that."

Neji folded his arms back over his chest. "Of course. Would you like me to choose the ANBU specialists, or do you have some in mind?"

Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully before his face brightened. "It doesn't matter how many you want to take down there with you, but I do have a few I'd like to suggest. Take Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Kakashi-sensei, and Granny Tsunade."

"Very well. We'll start at sunrise."

"Good." Naruto nodded to himself and moved to sit down on one of benches near the others.

Kiba suddenly broke the quick silence. "Speaking of Shikamaru, did you send someone else down there to guard the gate?"

Naruto nodded once again, but didn't look anywhere besides the hospital door in front of him. "Yeah, I sent about four ninjas down there, so Shikamaru should be joining us soon."

"Okay…"

"Oh!" Ino exclaimed jumping up from her seat. "I need to go call Choji. He'll be wondering where I am." Before she could run down the hall, she faced Naruto with a question. "Hey, Naruto? Is it okay if I tell him about the whole Sasuke-kun thing?"

"Sure, I have no problem with it."

"Just…" Neji spoke up quickly. "Don't let Hinata find out about this yet. I think it'd be best if we waited until Sakura-san is done with him before we tell her."

* * *

Sakura's hands hovered over an extensively deep wound just under his heart. "He's lost a lot of blood…" She murmured while concentrating on her healing. A loud beep from the heart monitor was heard, and before Sakura could even glance at it, Sasuke's eyes snapped open revealing his sharingan.

Not recognizing the area around him, he sat up in a jolt and gazed around frantically. His breathing became even more labored and his leftover wounds stretched causing blood to stream down his skin.

Assisted by the other nurses, Sakura tried to push Sasuke back down onto the bed. "Calm down, Sasuke-kun! You need to lie down and stay still so I can heal you."

As much as they pushed, he remained steadfast in sitting up and searching the room. "Hinata…where is she? Where is Hinata? Tell me where she is now!"

"Sasuke-kun, you have to relax!" Sakura tried to soothe him, but it didn't seem like it was working and even her brute strength didn't seem to be enough to make him lay down again. She turned to one of the other nurses. "Get me a shot of anesthesia now!"

"Yes, Sakura-san!" The nurse disappeared for a moment and came back with the needle in hand. She handed it off to Sakura quickly and resumed her position as one of the many nurses trying to calm the raging Uchiha.

"Hold him still!" Sakura commanded and tried to grasp onto his arm, which was fighting off his human restraints.

"Get off of me! Let me go! Get away!" Sasuke continued to shout since for the moment all he could see was red. Despite recognizing one of the people through his blurry vision, none of those around him was the one he needed to see at the moment. All he could think about was his wife and her whereabouts. All he needed was to see her and know that she was safe. Only then could he relax and calm himself. At the moment, his mind was telling him that if Hinata wasn't there, she wasn't safe. "I said let go of me!"

Sakura backed away as Sasuke harshly pushed many of the nurses to the side making some of them slam into the wall. She cursed as she tried to grasp his arm again. If he wasn't still, then she couldn't inject the needle, which resulted in trying to pathetically heal a raging patient.

"I need to see Hinata! Where is she? Tell me where Hinata is now!"

Sakura frowned deeply while trying to restrain him herself. "Sasuke-kun, please calm down!" she paused seeing that he wasn't cooperating in the least. "Damn it! You!" She glared at another nurse. "Go bring in Neji-san! Hurry!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The nurse exited the room breathing heavily, and stared around at the group in the hallway before landing her gaze on the Hyuga. "Hyuga-san, Sakura-san needs your help restraining Uchiha-san. He's gone completely uncontrollable!"

Neji widened his eyes before running into the room. Naruto followed after with the others closely behind.

Once they all entered the room, they were greeted by the sight of Sasuke appearing as though he were actually fighting a battle and everyone around him was his enemy. The nurses backed away to be replaced by the men, who were now the ones trying to hold Sasuke down.

Sakura took a glance around seeing who all was there before returning to her determined obstacle of injecting her teammate with the anesthesia. However, even with the men holding him down, he was still thrashing about like a mad man. "Sasuke-kun, please! Everything's okay now. Your friends are all here; we're trying to help you!"

"I don't care!" He tried to fight off the death grips on his body. "I need Hinata! I need to find her, now get off!"

"Sasuke, you bastard, just stay still so Sakura-chan can heal you!" Naruto shouted hoping that his friend would stop acting as though they were trying to kill him.

Sasuke continued to shout and fight against them making Neji scowl in frustration. "Uchiha! If you don't calm down and let Sakura-san heal you, then we can't let you see Hinata!"

Sasuke paused for a moment before glaring hatefully at those around him. Sakura took this chance to inject the needle, but before she could finish, Sasuke flung his arm causing Sakura to stumble backwards and the needle to crash to the floor.

All the men exhaled angrily. Neji grunted and quickly thought about using his palm technique on him, but even he knew that would just cause even more damage. "I thought that would work."

Kiba growled while trying to keep from getting hit. "Yeah, well, it didn't. Want to try a new tactic?"

Sakura bit down on her lip. "Damn…There's only one thing we can do. I'll be right back. Ino, Kiba, come with me." She said sternly as she ran out of the room with Ino and Kiba leaving the men to keep Sasuke from jumping out of bed.

* * *

Hinata's chest rose and fell with every deep breath she took. The light from the moon shone through the window illuminating her sleeping body. From beneath the covers, she lay on her side with one hand hidden under her pillow and the other hand grasping tightly onto the pillow her husband once used. Despite her tight grip on the pillow, her resting face was void of any expression; in fact, she seemed quite peaceful in her slumber.

That is, until the sound of the phone ringing interrupted her sleep. She inhaled deeply and forced her eyelids to open before blinking to clear her vision. She listened to the phone ringing and pondered if she should just ignore it. Her better judgement won over with the thought of it being something important. That, and if it rang anymore it would also wake her children.

With a yawn, Hinata sat up in bed, pushed away the covers, and strode out of her bedroom and entered into the living room. She sluggishly walked over to the phone and picked it up while fighting to keep her eyelids open and awake. If she did that, she promised herself that she could go right back to sleep once she was finished with the phone call.

As soon as the earpiece of the phone touched her ear, she spoke through another yawn. "H-Hello?"

"_Hina-chan! It's me, Sakura."_

Hinata narrowed her eyes questionably. "Sakura-chan? Is everything alright?"

_"No, not really. Listen, I know I probably just woke you up, but I really need you to get down here to the hospital immediately."_

As soon as the words processed, Hinata felt her body kick into gear and she was no longer tired. She became utterly alert. "What is it? What's wrong, Sakura-chan? Is one of our friends hurt? What happened?"

_"…I'll explain everything once you get here, but you need to hurry. I'm, uh, having a lot of trouble with this one patient and I can't do anything without you here to help. It's pretty urgent, so please hurry."_

Hinata was about to comply, but winced when she remembered that her kids were asleep in their room just down the hall. "Sakura-chan, I don't think I can leave. I can't leave Riku and Mikoto alone—"

_"Don't worry about it. I got it covered. I sent Kiba and Ino over there to watch them while you're gone. They should be there any second now."_

"Oh…okay. Well, then, I'm on my way."

"_Okay, hurry, Hina-chan!"_

Hinata hung the phone up and ran to her room to put on some decent clothes before running out of the house. As she bypassed the Uchiha entrance gates, her pace didn't slow down, even when she saw Ino and Kiba running towards her. The three didn't stop and only continued running in their designated directions.

But, as they passed, Kiba said a few words before he was no longer in her sight. "Be strong, Hinata-chan."

Her eyes widened, but she quickly pushed it aside and focused more on getting to the hospital in time. If Sakura, or any friend for that matter, needed her then she would be there without even thinking about it.

* * *

Hinata ran through the hospital entrance doors and entered the lobby. She was panting lightly due to her excessive running, but constantly running on missions allowed her not to be winded. Her eyes darted between the different hallways without a clue as to where Sakura was.

Luckily, a nurse spotted her from the end of the hallway leading to the emergency rooms. "Hinata-san, right this way please!" She shouted in her hurry, and ran with Hinata down the designated hallway.

During their run, Hinata transferred into her medical attitude right away. "What's going on?"

The nurse was quiet for only a second while silently wondering how much her superior knew. "How much did Sakura-san tell you?"

"Just that she was having trouble with a patient and needed my help."

The nurse seemed to be in shock for a moment as she now realized that Hinata wasn't informed that the patient was in fact her husband. With a shake of her head, she finally answered. "That's right. He…The patient has serious injuries, but Sakura-san is unable to heal them since he is unstable. I'd normally think he was acting delusional, but it's more along the lines of him just being very panicked for some reason." She paused as they rounded a corner. "Sakura-san is trying to give him an anesthetic, but he keeps fighting us off. Neji-san, Shikamaru-san, Lee-san, and hokage-sama are trying to hold him down so Sakura-san can give him the shot."

Hinata glanced at the nurse in surprise. "Neji-kun? Naruto-kun? What are they all doing here? They don't work here."

"No, uh, they don't, but…um…you see…" The nurse stumbled with her words and began to sweat in her anxiety. "Besides Hokage-sama, it was those men who found…the patient collapsed at the Konoha gates. He's in very critical condition and will stay that way unless he calms down enough for Sakura-san to operate."

That made sense, but part of Hinata still wondered why Naruto was there too. Eventually, she just rationalized that he must've been visiting Sakura for a short time before the patient was brought in.

Before she could think it all the way through, the nurse stopped outside of a door and motioned to it. "This is it, Hinata-san. Sakura-san just needs you to calm him down so she can inject him."

"Understood." She said, but inwardly wondered if she would be able to do it. After all, she didn't really know this patient, so how would she be able to calm him down so easily? Brushing away the thoughts in her mind, Hinata gripped the handle and turned, but stopped when she heard the nurse say a few words.

"Be strong, Hinata-san."

Kiba had said that to her too, which made her even more confused now. She glanced to where the nurse was, but noticed that she had already left down the hallway. Ignoring it once again, she fully opened the door, entered, and closed it swiftly behind her.

The first thing she saw was four males hovering over a bed and Sakura off on one end with a new needle in her hand. It was the only female there who noticed her first. An obvious relief flooded over Sakura's face. "Oh thank God, Hina-chan, you're here."

The other men looked up at her entrance and stared at her with unreadable expressions.

Hinata stepped forward, but stopped when she heard a familiar sounding yell, which caused her to look at the patient being restrained.

She recognized the features of his face, his dark black hair, and those red sharingan eyes. Seeing it all at once made her gasp followed by her hands covering her mouth. Her knees felt shaky and tears began to form in her white orbs. With each trembling breath she inhaled, more tears were formed. _Sasuke…? Is it really…? _"A-Am I…dreaming?"

Naruto chuckled despite the situation they were in. "If you're dreaming, then we all are."

Still, Hinata could not move. She was frozen to the ground.

Sasuke was glaring hatefully at the men holding him, and tried with every ounce of strength he had to push them away. "Get off of me! Get away! I need to find Hinata! Get off now!"

"S-Sasuke…?" A tender voice entered his ears making him halt his movements. He knew that voice. In the past six years, that voice whispered through his memories, but hearing it now clearly did not do it justice.

He pushed away the ones that were holding him, and searched the room for the voice. Five people were blocking his way from seeing every inch of the room, but he still looked around. Just when he finally caught a glimpse of blue-black hair, he felt a few hands grasp onto his arms pushing him forcefully back down onto the bed. Sasuke growled in annoyance and struggled against them. "Did you not hear me? I said get away!"

"Sasuke…" The voice sounded again, but this time it was accompanied by soft fingers tracing over his face bringing his attention to someone very near him.

He became very still and turned his face until his eyes met the most beautiful lavender eyes he had ever seen. He was calm now and could only gaze into those familiar eyes he loved so much. "H-Hinata?" His sharingan deactivated revealing his onyx eyes so opposite her own.

Joyful tears flowed down her cheeks in streams as she tried to smile, albeit crookedly. It was difficult to tell whether she was going to laugh or cry. It turned out that she was somewhat doing both. "Sasuke," She choked and embraced him tightly. Her arms wrapped around him as she cried happily letting her tears fall onto his skin.

Sasuke remained still for a moment and didn't notice a small prick in his arm, where Sakura quickly injected the anesthetic. When the pink-haired woman backed away as soon as she finished, Sasuke slowly wove his arms around his wife. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, and closed his eyes to enjoy inhaling the scent she always carried. Man, he had missed this so much.

The only downside was that he was beginning to feel drowsy, and it was becoming quite a chore to keep his body from drifting into a deep slumber. "Hinata…"

Hinata sniffled. "I kept my promise, Sasuke…I kept it all these years…"

"Promise?" He questioned already half-asleep.

"That I'd wait for you. I did…and I never stopped."

This unknowingly brought a small tired smile to Sasuke's lips, and before he could open his mouth to reply, he was forcibly unconscious once again.

Sakura stepped forward and whispered to her friend. "He's asleep now, Hina-chan."

Hinata nodded while still holding his limp body in her arms. With her gentle hands, she lowered his body back onto the bed and kissed him lightly on his forehead. "I love you, Sasuke…"

Sakura smiled warmly. "I'll get him healed up, and then you can come see him again, okay? Were you planning on staying the night?"

Without hesitation, Hinata nodded once again. "If…If that's alright with you, Kiba-kun, and Ino-chan."

"Sure, sure. I'll just go call them right now and ask if they mind. The kids have no school tomorrow anyway."

"Speaking of kids," Neji spoke up seriously. "How are you going to explain this to Riku and Mikoto?"

Hinata shook her head as the men followed her out into the hallway leaving Sakura behind to finish her job. "I'm not sure yet."

"Hmmm…" Neji sighed. "You know, Riku is not going to take this too well."

"I know…but, hopefully, he'll learn to adjust and accept."

Neji agreed, but he still knew how difficult it was going to be introducing the twins to their father. "I guess we'll just have to wait and find out…"

* * *

**Okay, I'm going to end it there, and I know it's shorter than my recent chapters, but I wanted the next chapter to be solely focused on the relationship between Sasuke and his kids. So, anyway, review please!**


	20. Embrace

Author Note: Thank you for the reviews! Also, I just want to let you guys know that I'm back in school, which means that I can only get these updates out on weekends—maybe earlier if I'm not busy. Once again, I ask for your patience! Thank you! 

One more thing: This chapter is definitely long, but you'll have to pardon me for not dedicating it solely to Sasuke and the twins. I forgot that there were a few more loose ends I had to tie up before the big meeting happened. Sorry!

**Important Note: **Dates for updates are back on my profile!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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* * *

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**Embrace**

The barest form of sunlight filtered in through the square window in the hospital room. The thin white curtains seemed to do nothing to prevent the light from reflecting off the white wash walls. The window was cracked open about an inch allowing the sound of the morning birds chirping to wander into the small room.

The light, the sounds…this was what made Sasuke's eyes blink open. It wasn't a surprise that the first sight that greeted him was the ever-present white ceiling. As he continued to blink, one of his hands automatically lifted to cradle his head. His fingers scratched a maze through his scalp before resting back to his side. His mind worked rapidly to help him realize where he was and how he had gotten there.

Only then did his eyes widen during his attempt to sit up. The rush of the movement caused him to wince from the inner bruising he no doubt had on his chest and stomach. The sheet slipped from his upper body and crumpled into his lap revealing his bare chest and bandaged stomach. Below the bandaging, he knew that his skin was healed, so that would mean that the bandages were only there for support.

An audible sigh from his side brought him out of his momentary daze. His attention snapped to the origin of the sound and immediately felt calm at the new sight that greeted him.

With the assistance of the excessive light in the room, he was able to clearly see the curvy form of his wife. Hinata was sitting in a chair close to his bedside with her upper body resting on the bed, and her hands enclosed around one of his hands. Her angelic face was in a peaceful sleep, the corners of her mouth quirked upwards in a small smile.

The more Sasuke watched her, the easier it became to wear a smile of his own. His abysmal eyes grazed over her soft features as a few strands of her dark hair fell over her face blocking his view. A small frown formed on his face while he gently swept the dark tendrils behind her ear. As tender as he tried to be, the light tickle against her skin made Hinata's drowsy eyes flutter open.

She sat up slowly with a hand raised to her mouth to stifle her yawn and her eyes only open halfway. When her vision cleared, she gazed at Sasuke with a warm smile. "Sasuke…" She was silent for a moment as her smile began to fade. After inhaling a deep breath, she moved closer until she was able to cup his cheek in her hand. Her smile transformed into one of solemnity. "I keep thinking that this is all just…a dream, and…and when I wake up…you won't be there." Her hand began to slip from his face, but his hand caught her own and held it between his two large hands. His rough fingers stroked her palms and over her soft knuckles before he lifted it to his mouth, where his lips whispered against her pale skin.

"If it is a dream, then let's hope that we never wake up." Sasuke murmured against her velvety skin before he placed a light kiss on it.

Hinata smiled while relishing in the feel of his skin on hers, which she hadn't felt in six long years. "Oh, um…" She spoke up and backed away from him not noticing the frown he now had on his features. "Sakura-chan said that it would be okay for you to leave today, but…I'll have to tell her that you're awake first. I also brought you a change of clothes since…well, the ones you were wearing are a little…dirty…" As she spoke, she walked over to a corner of the room where she held up a folded pile of clothes. She laid them down at the foot of his bed, and turned to leave, but was restricted by Sasuke gripping onto her wrist. She turned back to face him questioningly. "What is it, Sasuke?"

"Don't…Don't leave yet." He muttered pleadingly. "Just…wait a little longer before you go get Sakura, alright?"

Hinata stared at him in surprise, but it faded to be replaced by another smile. She nodded once and sat back down in her chair.

Sasuke watched her sit down, and once she seemed comfortable, he began. "I want to know everything that happened while I was gone."

"E-Everything?"

Sasuke smirked. "Every little detail."

Hinata tapped her forefingers together. "That's a lot…"

He chuckled. "That's fine; I'm in no hurry."

She bit her lip and stayed quiet for a moment before smiling at him mischievously. "Okay, but on one condition."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Okay…?"

She leaned forward with an eager expression. "Will you tell me everything that happened to you in the past six years?"

This made his brows furrow. "You really want to know that?"

"Of course."

"There's really not that much to tell, you know."

"That's okay, I don't mind." She persisted innocently.

Sasuke gave her a half-smile. "Fine. I'll go first since it won't take long."

Hinata nodded eagerly and waited to hear about his absence.

Before Sasuke began, he patted the empty spot on the bed next to him. "Come here first."

She tilted her head slightly before sitting in the designated spot. However, she was only sitting there for a few seconds since Sasuke pulled her to him so that she was sitting in-between his legs with her back up against his naked chest. After her short yelp died away, his arms wove around her petite figure and his chin rested on her shoulder.

Hinata tensed automatically and turned to look back at him in question. "Sasuke…?"

"Relax." She murmured as smooth as silk. "I haven't held you—let alone seen you—in awhile. Allow me my moment to cling onto what I haven't had in six long years." This was followed by him inhaling her scent deeply.

The timid woman could only smile and moved his arms until they were wrapped securely around her stomach with her own arms tangled with his. She comfortably leaned her head back against his shoulder until her forehead was touching his warm neck. Below her skin, she could clearly feel every little heartbeat he had. Strangely, this managed to comfort her and make her feel a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time. Who would've thought it'd be Sasuke with the ability to grant her peace out of all the people in her life?

With a sigh, Sasuke let out a grunt. "Just don't let that little tidbit of information leave this room."

Hinata bit her bottom lip to stifle a giggle. "You just don't want Naruto-kun to find out how clingy you are."

"Hn,"

This time, Hinata sighed deeply. "Will you tell me now…about what you've been doing these past six years?"

"If I must."

"Yes, you must. That is…if you want me to tell you every detail about what you've missed."

It was difficult to tell, but Sasuke could've sworn she was pulling off a light smirk. _Maybe I have influenced her a little too much. _Despite his amusement and attraction to the sly Hinata, he faked a childish groan. "Fine. Whatever. But, I did warn you that there's really not that much to tell."

"That's fine."

He ignored the small upturn to his lips before beginning his short tale. "Alright, where to begin…?" He paused while debating within his mind. After only a few seconds, he seemed to find his place. "Well, I honestly didn't catch up to Itachi until a little over a week ago. The years between my departure from here and our fight, I was tracking him. For awhile, I didn't really understand why he was making me follow him around all the different countries. At first, I assumed that it was a trick; that he would lead me on to one place when he was actually on his way back to Konoha to…finish what he started." He was not looking at her anymore, and chose to stare blankly at the wall ahead of him. His forehead creased, his brows knotted, and his lips formed into a thin line. "However, that was not the case. Instead of finding him right away, I came across many obstacles in my journey. I ended up running into a good handful of Akatsuki members. Each one I faced was more difficult than the first, but I somehow managed to defeat them all.

"Tracking my brother, fighting off Akatsuki, resting from my wounds, and suffering from dreams of my family was basically how I passed each day. In this past year, I began to also notice that I, myself, was being tracked, but no action was taken against me."

"Tracked?" Hinata asked confusedly. "By who?"

"Konoha ANBU, apparently. They didn't come into contact with me, so I never bothered with them. Although, I began to notice that a few weeks ago, they had backed off and probably returned to the village. That was the same week I finally caught up to Itachi. Hn. It just so happened to turn out that we ended up fighting on my birthday…the twins' birthday as well."

"W-What?" Hinata stuttered in disbelief.

"Yeah. Consider it a sick joke on Itachi's part." For some reason, saying that managed to give Sasuke a sour taste in his mouth. If he said that a couple years ago, it probably wouldn't have bothered him much, but recent events changed that. "Anyway, we fought for awhile, which seemed like eternity. After long last, I stabbed him with my katana when he assumed that I went into shock from the Mangekyo's effects. I was lucky to have stabbed him in a vital area, which resulted in his death." He ended it there while going over everything that was stated by his brother. His words still rung in his mind like a bell. _I think I understand his intentions now for making me trail him for six years. He knew I would run into other Akatsuki members and he wanted me to be ready for our fight. He knew I probably wasn't strong enough, and killing those members did manage to give me strength. _He frowned amidst his reminiscing. _We both knew the day would come when one of us would be killed by the other. Unlike me, it's seems as though Itachi—big brother—was trying to make his opponent stronger…he was trying to make me strong enough to defeat him._

"Sasuke?"

Her voice snapped him out of his reverie. "Hn?"

She licked her lips and opened and closed her mouth a few times before speaking. "I…I was told that you…brought Itachi's body back with you…" She inhaled deeply and continued in a small voice. "It…It kind of…surprised everyone that you would do that. I mean…I think we all assumed that…well…"

"That I would obliterate him on the spot?" He finished for her.

She nodded and gulped.

"I couldn't do it." He whispered in reply to her unspoken "why?".

Hinata faced him again with a shocked expression, but her eyes showed pride in his actions as well as a certain amount of satisfaction. A smile tugged at her mouth. "Your brother will always be your brother, no matter what."

"Yeah…" He let a long breath escape through his lips. "It took me so long to realize that…everything he's done in the past, he's done for me in some weird round-about way. Then again, it was in his nature to do things like that. He was never really direct with his intentions; instead, he preferred to have others figure it out themselves."

"Hmm…" Hinata nuzzled her face just below his throat.

Sasuke inhaled and exhaled deeply in a way to push away his thoughts and memories on the matter. "Your turn."

"Hm?"

He chuckled lowly. "I told you my story wasn't that long. It's your turn to spill the details of six years."

"Oh…right. Um…" She tapped her forefinger to her chin in thought. Suddenly, her eyes brightened. "When we go home, I'll show my photo album, and—"

"You have photos?" He interrupted with a raised brow.

"Of course. They're mainly of the twins, though. The whole album ranges between their birth and now." She paused with a warm smile. "I think you'd like to see it."

He smirked softly and whispered in reply. "I really would."

"So…um…" Her eyes shifted to different parts of the room. "I think…I'll just tell you the major changes now…and go into detail when you see the pictures. Um, is that okay?"

"I don't mind." He muttered, his lips slowly forming into a relieved grin. "We have all the time in the world now."

At this point, Hinata was pretty sure that her smile wasn't going to fade anytime soon. She had never felt so elated before than when she was being held by her husband after being deprived of the feeling for so long.

Sasuke chuckled at her sudden silence. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

Hinata tensed for a second before giggling to herself quietly. "Sorry…um, let's see…" She gnawed on her lip while thinking where to start. "Well, Riku and Mikoto are six years now."

Behind her, Sasuke was silent, but his eyes unnoticeably softened. "Mhm?"

"And…Neji-kun is one of the best ANBU captains, and my father retired three years ago. So, Hanabi-chan is now the head of the Hyuga clan. She's doing very well, but I think it stresses her out a lot." She laughed freely. "Um…Oh! The twins and Akio-kun are now at the academy and have been there for a little over a year. They're doing very well in all their studies; I'm so proud of them."

"Best grades in class, I assume?" Sasuke smirked.

"Well, Akio-kun apparently has the best grades academically. He really takes after his mother in that department." She paused noticing the strange sense of annoyance coming from Sasuke, so she quickly continued. "But Riku and Mikoto are right behind him. Although, Akio-kun does take after his father when it comes to his physical skills. It takes him awhile to learn and pick up on things, but won't stop until he gets it right. Riku, on the other hand, seemed to be just like you. Everything came so naturally to him; it was almost as if he didn't even have to try. Mikoto does very well too, but she finds it more fun to treat it like a game. She's quite a free spirit."

"Mmm…"

"Tenten-chan is their sensei right now. She started teaching there four years ago. Lee-kun will come to help sometimes, but he's usually teaching in his dojo or on missions with Gai-sensei."

"Big surprise." Sasuke muttered sarcastically.

Hinata ignored his statement and continued. "Choji-san and Ino-chan got married less than a year ago. Four months ago, we found out that Ino-chan was pregnant."

"Really?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"I know—we were all thinking the same thing. She wasn't too happy about it at first…She didn't want to get fat or even gain a few pounds. But…I think she's warmed up to the idea now of being a mother. In fact, she seems really excited about it. Well…mainly the shopping, but nonetheless, she is excited."

He grunted in reply. "What else?"

"Um, let me think…" Her teeth went back to gnawing on her bottom lip. "Shino-kun and Kiba-kun are part of the ANBU now…"

Honestly, Sasuke wasn't that interested in many of the rookie nine. As far as he was concerned, he only wanted to hear the main changes that happened to his family and close friends. Speaking of whom, "What about the idiot and Sakura? I have a feeling Kakashi hasn't changed at all, so don't bother with him."

"Oh," She giggled sweetly. "You're right about Kakashi-sensei. Sakura-chan hasn't changed much either. She's still a head medic-nin like me and Ino-chan. And Naruto-kun…"

Sasuke sighed irritably. "What did the idiot do now?"

Hinata gave him a mischievous smile. "Actually, Naruto-kun is—"

"Knock, knock." A familiar voice came from the female walking into the room and closing the door behind her. She was grinning at the two from ear-to-ear. When she took note of their close positioning on the bed, she couldn't help but snicker. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Hinata colored quickly and jumped from the bed within a second. "I-Ino-chan…" She squeaked in embarrassment while standing stiffly next to the bed.

Sasuke glared at the interrupting blonde and eventually swung his legs over the edge of the bed with his arms folded tightly over his chest indicating his annoyance.

Ino laughed. "I just came to see if you and Sasuke-kun were awake yet. Now that I see that you are, I'll go get Sakura so she can get you checked out of here."

Sasuke lowered his brows. "Why can't you just do it? You're a medic-nin."

"Yeah…" She drawled. "But, it's our policy that the one who healed you is the one who let's you go, and that would be billboard-brow."

"Hn."

Ino smirked slyly. "So, I'll go do that, and you guys can finish up. It should only take you like five minutes right?"

"Ino-chan!" Hinata whimpered feeling the immense heat from her face.

"What?" Ino shrugged. "I'm surprised you haven't yet. I mean, if it was Choji who was gone for six years, I would've jumped his bones the minute he walked through the village gates."

"B-B-But he was hardly in the condition for any of that." Hinata stuttered.

Ino's blue eyes glinted. "Ah, so you _were _thinking about it."

Hinata's opal eyes widened, which contrasted with her cherry-colored face. "N-No! Ino-chan!"

Ino laughed even more. "Hey, don't worry about it. If you want, I can take the long way to go find Sakura. That should give you a little more time, so just make sure you keep the door closed, and you might want to put up a 'do not disturb' sign."

"Ino-chan, please!" Hinata begged while not noticing the obvious consideration on Sasuke's face.

The outgoing blonde didn't seem to hear her friend. "I mean, think about it! It's like every girl's fantasy, you know? Medical ninja and patient in a room all alone…It's down right kinky." She held up her hand to her forehead dramatically and tried to mimic Hinata's soft-toned voice with a hint of seduction to it. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, it's time for your check-up. I need you to remove _all _your clothes. Do you want me to help with that?" She gasped still in her acting mode. "Oh, look at that, my uniform has unbuttoned all by itself over my very large breasts, and it's so cold in here! Would you mind if we helped each other get very warm? I promise it will be very pleasurable."

By this time, Hinata had closed her eyes tightly and covered her ears with her hands. Even so, she could still hear her friend's words, which resulted in the timid woman becoming slightly unstable on her feet.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and stood behind Hinata with his hand positioned on her shoulders to help steady her. Once she seemed secure, he scowled threateningly at Ino. "I think you're done here, so leave and get Sakura."

Ino merely raised a brow in bemusement. "Fine, fine, whatever." She turned around with a sigh and opened the door. Before leaving, she turned back around. "Sorry for teasing you, Hina-chan, but you really should take that boy to bed. Six years without sex? He's got to be dying for it by now."

Hinata whimpered and Sasuke growled. "Out!"

Ino snickered and closed the door quickly behind her. For a few seconds, they could hear her rapid footsteps running down the outside hallway.

When the coast was clear, Sasuke began to gently massage his wife's tense shoulders. "Are you alright?" he whispered softly against her ear.

Hinata nodded, took a deep breath, and placed her hands back to her sides. Her cheeks were still tinted pink, but it wasn't as bad anymore. She gulped inaudibly as she leaned her head back against Sasuke's shoulder. "She's too much sometimes."

Sasuke grunted indignantly. "I honestly have no idea how you can even call her your friend. I'm surprised you haven't killed her yet."

Hinata smiled. "I could never do that…Ino-chan has always been there for me. She's always been able to cheer me up whenever I was sad."

"Well, as long as she has a purpose…" He trailed off in a bored murmur.

Hinata turned around to face him with that gentle smile still gracing her features. All too suddenly, her eyes widened fractionally as if something just hit her. "Oh!" She gasped. "I completely forgot…I was supposed to call…" She paused thinking it would be best to keep Naruto's occupation a mystery for now. If anything, it would be more of a surprise for Sasuke to find out himself. "The hokage once you woke up."

Sasuke groaned. "Why?"

"Because I was asked too. And…you'll probably need to answer some questions."

"Great…" He spoke unenthusiastically.

Hinata tried to smile sympathetically while backing away from him. "I'll go take care of that right now, so…I'll be right back." She turned on her heel and walked a step toward the door before she was restricted from moving any further.

Sasuke grasped onto her wrist firmly and pulled her back to him until the front of her body was flush against his and his arms were wrapped around her in a bind. Before she had time to open her mouth to speak, his lips crushed against hers with a heartbreaking passion. Hinata was motionless with shock before she gradually melted into the first kiss they shared since his departure.

While one of his hands remained on her lower back, his other hand stroked up her body until his fingers knotted themselves into her black tresses. Holding her to him desperately, he deepened the kiss by delving his tongue into the cavern of her mouth.

As their tongues tangled, Hinata's hands wove around his neck with the intention to destroy any small amount of distance between them.

Years of not being able to feel each other had nearly driven them both to insanity. While Hinata's gentle fingers stroked through his raven locks, Sasuke's hands began to roam over every curvature of her body as if memorizing it all over again. Without even thinking about it, his hands dove under her shirt to greedily touch her velvety pale skin. Callused fingertips traced shapes over her bare back and stomach causing her to shudder in his embrace, which resulted in his hunger for her to increase tenfold.

Touching her, feeling her, smelling her, tasting her…He couldn't understand for the life of him why he hadn't gone insane already. His mind had dazed over and he knew his rapid heartbeat was matching hers perfectly. Their bodies were crushed together, and yet it still felt as though they should be closer, almost melding together.

Hinata felt a slight sting from the fierce grip Sasuke's hand had with her hair, but she really didn't notice it at all. Her breath was coming in short gasps, and her lungs were nearly burning for more oxygen, but Sasuke was relentless. He was practically devouring her mouth with his needful caressing, licking, and even biting. There was no doubt in Hinata's mind that her lips would look completely swollen when they were done, along with her disheveled hair and flushed face. The only thing that would give Sasuke away would be his heavy breathing and incessant predatory hunger to his onyx eyes. His hair in disarray would not pose a problem, and would definitely go unnoticed. A flushed face had never been a problem for him since he could calm himself easier than anyone she knew. Inwardly, she thought jealously of how easy he had it. She would be an open book compared to him, and that would be even if she were to freshen up.

Despite the unfairness to it all, she really didn't care at the moment. In all actuality, she could only see and feel him, her husband. As far as they both were concerned, they were the only ones who existed. They were nearly latching onto each other as if they were the other's life source. Six years of no contact between them would no doubt lead up to a moment like this.

They finally broke apart to take in pants of air while resting their cheeks against one another. When Hinata felt that she had regained her breath, she blew softly against his ear before taking his ear lobe between her teeth.

An animalistic growl reverberated throughout Sasuke's chest giving Hinata a fair warning of what was to come. As soon as she backed away to stare at him, his lips found hers again. With their lips still locked, he turned her around until her back was against the bedside. His hands trailed down her back and gripped onto her waist. In one solid movement, he had lifted her so that she was sitting on the bed with his body positioned right between her legs. His arms held her close, and it was safe to say that their mouths weren't going to part from each other anytime soon.

That is, unless they were interrupted by the door opening revealing a pink-haired woman, who practically froze at the sight before her. "Whoa!"

Her loud exclamation startled the couple forcing a glare on Sasuke's face and a widespread blush to run over Hinata's cheeks. "S-Sakura-chan…"

"Wow…" Sakura muttered in shock. "I thought Ino-pig was joking when she said you guys were close to doing the nasty, but geez, I guess she's actually right for once."

Hinata's blush intensified, which resulted in her jumping off the bed and out of Sasuke's warm embrace. Now, the couple was standing next to each other with a good amount of distance between them.

As his wife worked on fixing her hair, Sasuke glowered at his female teammate. "Does nobody knock in this god damn place?"

Sakura smiled pleasantly and tapped her pen on her clipboard. "You forget, Sasuke-kun, this is a hospital, not a hotel. There's really no need for med-nins to knock before entering." She took a deep breath and scanned over the list on her clipboard. "Anyway, I need to check you over so I can approve your leaving. Don't worry, you guys can get back to what you were doing once you get home."

Hinata's face retained the reddish color she was wearing not too long ago.

Sasuke grunted while inwardly agreeing with Sakura that he clearly intended to finish what they started upon returning home.

"Okay, Sasuke-kun," Sakura muttered standing in front of him. "I'll need you to lie back down again." She moved to place her hand on his shoulder in order to lead him back to the bed. Her eyes widened at the same time she gasped when her wrist was caught mid-air.

Sasuke gripped her wrist tightly while giving her a glare of warning. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch me, Sakura."

"Uh, right." She held her hand to her chest the second he released it. Her brows furrowed as she noticed the slight redness her wrist developed.

"Sasuke," Hinata frowned in disappointment. "She only means to help you, and she can't make sure you are okay to go home if she's not allowed to touch you."

He glanced at his wife innocently. "Why can't you just do it, Hina? You're a medic-nin too, right?"

"Well, yes, but…" Hinata smiled comfortingly while pushing him to lay back down on the bed, which he obediently did. "It's like Ino-chan said about the hospital's policy. Sakura-chan was the one who healed you, so she is the only one who can authorize your leave."

"Hn," He shifted until he was comfortable and stared up at his wife with something akin to a pout on his face.

Hinata repressed a giggle and kissed his forehead. "Please behave and let Sakura-chan do her job."

"Where are you going?" he questioned watching her edge towards the door.

"I told you, I need to go make a call real fast. I'll be right back." She opened the door, but stopped and turned back to face her friend. "Oh, um, Sakura-chan? Can I speak with you for a moment outside?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." Sakura followed Hinata outside the hospital room.

Hinata didn't speak until the door was closed and they were somewhat alone in the hallway. "Sakura-chan, could you please not mention Naruto-kun's new status to Sasuke?"

The pink-haired medic crossed her arms over her chest and raised a curious brow. "Why the secrecy?"

Hinata smiled mischievously. "I need to call Naruto-kun to tell him that Sasuke's awake. When he comes here, I want it to be a surprise for Sasuke."

Sakura stared at her blankly before laughing. "Wow, Hina-chan. Sasuke's absent for six years, and yet he still has his influence on you. Then again, I can tell that you've rubbed off on him too." She paused with an affirmative nod. "Okay, I won't tell Sasuke-kun a thing. Although, you should hurry back so he doesn't get out of hand. He seems to do that a lot when you're not around."

"Okay," Hinata smiled once more before running down the hall towards the public phone, and Sakura retreated back into the hospital room to finish up with Sasuke.

* * *

"_Awesome, Hinata-chan! I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"_

"Okay, Naruto-kun. We'll be expecting you." Hinata answered into the phone. She said a quick goodbye before hanging up and turning around only to see her blonde friend standing there with a wide grin. "I-Ino-chan?"

Ino laughed lightly and swung an arm around Hinata's shoulders. "You up for some coffee? You look like you could use some."

"That's okay. I really don't feel like it right now." Hinata folded her hands in front of her. "Oh, Ino-chan? There was something I wanted to ask you."

"What's up?" Ino asked while they both walked back towards Sasuke's room.

"Um, are my children still at home with Kiba-kun?"

"Oh, no. Sorry, I completely forgot to tell you." She laughed good-naturedly. "I had Kiba drop them off at your dad's place this morning. They asked where you went, so I just told them that you were busy bringing home a present for them." She winked. "No doubt they'll be extremely surprised, huh?"

Hinata's smile didn't touch her eyes and instead looked more solemn than happy. "I just hope they take it well…all of them."

* * *

Sakura left shortly after leaving Hinata and Sasuke in the room alone once more. Hinata was currently gazing out the window peacefully while Sasuke was dressing into his clothes behind her. After he pulled his shirt on over his head, he turned his focus onto his epitome of peace—his Hinata. All he could see was her back, her dark locks flowing over her shoulders and down her back with the late morning sun casting a glow around her form. This was proof that every image of her he remembered in the past few years was nothing compared to what he was seeing now.

As he approached her silently from behind, he wondered how it was possible for her to always be so beautiful no matter how many years went by. Now, he stood behind her, barely an inch separating them, and his arms found their way around her waist pulling him to her so as to eliminate any distance between them. He could feel her tense for a moment before relaxing into his hold. Just as her head leaned back into his shoulder, his face nuzzled into her neck.

Hinata could feel his warm lips rest against her skin with only the satisfaction of touching her. No words were spoken between them, and that was acceptable. Even so, they were both relishing in the true feel of the other's body against their own. They had been deprived of each other for so many years that they couldn't seem to want to stop any form of contact. And this was in a public place; both of them knew their "form of contact" would take a whole new direction once they were in the privacy of their bedroom.

"Ready to go home?" Sasuke asked breaking the momentary silence.

"Not yet, Sasuke." She turned around in his arms so she could gaze at the face she hadn't seen in so long. "The hokage still has to see you and ask some questions. I'm sure the hokage will be here any minute."

Sasuke let out a displeased grunt while rolling his eyes in the process. "As if I actually want to see that wench. Isn't she supposed to be busy or something? Surely, there are more important things to do than question me."

Hinata smiled despite herself while inwardly laughing at his assumption that Tsunade was still the hokage. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he found out that it was actually Naruto. "You're important to the hokage, Sasuke. Since you woke up, you have become first priority."

"Oh joy…" He muttered sarcastically. "I don't understand why she just can't wait until later to interrogate me. I've been in this hospital for too long as it is."

Hinata put her finger on his mouth to halt any further angry banter. "Please be patient." She tilted her head with a reassuring smile. "It'll be over soon, and then we can go home."

He offered her a soft glare before lowering her hand from his mouth and holding it within his own hand. Before their hands made it back to their sides, he had already pressed his lips to hers as a way to end anymore talking.

"Wow, Sasuke, have you gotten softer?" A new voice sounded from inside the room making the two jump in surprise.

Hinata looked over Sasuke's shoulder to see Naruto standing at the entrance to the room with the door closing silently behind him. His arms crossed over his chest to match the teasing smirk on his cheery face.

Sasuke turned halfway around and glared with a hint of hostility from yet another interruption. "Naruto…You're just as bad as everyone else in this fu—What the hell are you wearing?" He questioned finally taking notice of the Kage robes, which adorned Naruto's body.

"Oh, you like them?" The blonde straightened out his outfit trying to appear more professional.

"Halloween's not for another few months, idiot." Now, Sasuke was the one with arms crossed over his chest.

Hinata, for the mean time, kept her place at her husband's side while greeting her hokage with a smile and giggling eyes.

Naruto pouted his lips at the insult. "Who said this is a Halloween costume? It's my work uniform."

Sasuke knotted his brows together in confusion while inwardly feeling skeptical about Naruto's insinuation. "I'm not falling for your ploy, loser. Now, where did you steal that?"

Naruto growled in reply. "I didn't steal anything! I'm the sixth hokage, damn it! I know you've been gone for six years, but I thought somebody would've told you by now!" He calmed down somewhat and gave his best impression of "puppy eyes" to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, you didn't tell him yet?"

Hinata giggled seeing that both men were looking at her now, one with a childish pout and the other with a quirked eyebrow mixed with pure shock and disbelief. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I wanted it to be a surprise for Sasuke."

"Oh, I'm surprised alright." Sasuke switched between glaring at his best friend and wife. "In fact, I can't help thinking that this is all just one big joke."

"Oh, come on, Sasuke." Naruto grinned and suppressed a victorious laugh. "I told you I was going to be hokage one day, and look at me now!"

Sasuke smirked. "Here I was thinking that was just some nonsense you kept spouting to everyone in sight. I mean, honestly, _you _being hokage? Was the fifth drunk when she decided that?"

"Hey! What's wrong with me being hokage? For your information, I'm a damn good hokage, the best there is!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really!"

As Hinata watched them bicker back and forth, she knew that despite Sasuke's harsh words, there was a small amount of pride in his dark eyes. Somehow knowing that both he and his best friend completed their life goals made him feel immensely proud of their accomplishments. Over ten years ago, Sasuke would've been the last one to think Naruto could ever be hokage, and yet, not even a year after his first return to Konoha did Sasuke become one of his leading supporters. Sasuke believed Naruto could accomplish his goal and backed him up completely, albeit in a different way than others did.

Out of nowhere and in the midst of the two men's argument, a puff of smoke appeared in the room. All their attentions turned to look inquiringly at who had suddenly showed up. When the smoke cleared, the two men simply rolled their eyes at seeing their white-haired sensei standing there with a familiar book in one hand and a scroll in the other. After putting away his book, he waved kindly at the small group of three. "Hi guys. Didn't mean to interrupt your little touchy-feely moment."

"We were _not _being touchy-feely!" Both men snapped back.

"Right, right." Kakashi waved his hand in dismissal. "Anyway, Naruto, here's the report from Itachi's body analysis last night."

Naruto received the scroll. "Last night? I told you guys to do it this morning."

"Yes, well, Neji seemed quite persistent with wanting to get it done as soon as possible."

"If that's the case, then why didn't you get this to me earlier? I told you I wanted the report as soon as you guys were done!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Come now, Naruto. You know me better than that. Since when have I ever been on time to anything?"

Naruto groaned. "Why do I even bother putting you on assignment anymore?"

The copy-ninja shrugged innocently. "Because I need the money, and you would never put your dear old sensei out of work, right?"

"Try me."

"Wait," Sasuke interrupted with a deathly sound to his voice. He approached the two and glanced at the scroll warily. "You did an analysis on Itachi's body without even asking me first?"

"If we waited any later, it would've been too late." Naruto answered him looking strangely serious for once. "The analysis needed to be done, and you were unconscious during the time when it was being done."

Sasuke's hands clenched into fists.

"Relax, Sasuke, we didn't mutilate his body or anything. I just wanted him checked out is all."

"Checked out, huh? And what does that imply exactly?"

"First of all," Kakashi took over gaining a serious composure as well. "In case you forgot, Itachi is, or was a dangerous shinobi. He could've done things to his body that would've resulted in numerous types of danger to anyone around him when he actually died. We had to be sure that all was safe."

"And did you find anything?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, actually, we did. Oddly enough, though, it wasn't anything dangerous. In fact, the first thing Neji picked up on was a huge amount of chakra build-up around Itachi's eyes. That kind of build-up isn't normal at all, and it explains a few of my other assumptions when it came to his sharingan." He paused noticing how engrossed the others were. "Awhile ago, I began to notice that due to the overuse of his Mangekyo sharingan, Itachi was slowly losing his eyesight. I wouldn't doubt that he was already blacking out a few times as the years passed by. If I had to guess, I'd say that if he wasn't blind when you two were fighting, then he definitely would've been blind within the next year.

"Other than that, there was only one other thing we noticed. As it turns out, Itachi put some sort of jutsu on his eyes, so that when he died, a very powerful and unbreakable seal was placed over his sharingan. The seal was so masterful that we couldn't even remove, touch, or come close to his eyes without the seal reacting and keeping us away."

Sasuke frowned pensively. "Like the byakugan, the sharingan is also wanted by many. With eyes as powerful as my brother's, it makes sense that he would seal them in order to prevent anyone finding his body and taking the eyes for themselves."

Kakashi nodded. "We concluded that as well."

A short moment of silence passed before Sasuke stared at his teammate and ex-sensei. "Where is Itachi's body now?"

Naruto motioned to the door with a flick of his head. "He's in the hospital's morgue. He'll stay there until you take him away or whatever you want to do. Speaking of which, did you have any plans on what you wanted to do for the disposal?" Naruto tapped his chin in thought. "We could burn the body, throw it in a river for the fish to nibble on, toss it in the garbage…anything but putting him on display for the whole village. I think I'd get reprimanded for something like that."

Hinata knew Naruto was just speaking out of anger from past happenings, but what concerned her more was Sasuke's reaction. His head was lowered so his bangs shadowed his eyes, and his hands hung limply. In a monotone voice, he decided. "I think a regular burial will be sufficient. I had always planned to bury him in the family cemetery at the compound."

Hinata smiled sadly and moved to slip her hand in his. Even though he didn't look at her, his hand returned the firm hold. As for Kakashi and Naruto, they appeared somewhat surprised. But once the surprise wore off, they both let small smiles dominate their mouths.

Naruto gave a short nod of approval. "Sounds good. Do you want to have a funeral service or anything? I can take care of the expenses."

"No," Sasuke abruptly answered. "A funeral won't be necessary since I doubt anyone would come. As for expenses, I'll be the one to take care of that."

"You got it, Sasuke." Naruto sighed and stared at the couple questioningly. "Well, I'm done with the questions, so you guys should go ahead and leave. You better do it soon, too. I'm sure Sakura-chan and Ino will be wanting to tease you two some more if you're still here."

Sasuke held Hinata's hand tightly and made his way toward the door quickly. "About time we can leave."

* * *

Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed while watching Hinata run back into the room with a large photo album in her arms. The door swung closed behind her, but didn't shut completely. After taking a seat next to her husband, she placed the heavy album in his lap, and gestured with a bright smile for him to go ahead and look.

Firstly, Sasuke memorized the appearance of the album itself. It was definitely heavy between its dark blue covers and hard leather binding. The entire texture was leather and velvet to the touch. What caught his attention the most, though, was the handmade Uchiha fan symbol engraved onto the front cover. The Uchiha name was inscribed in bold letters just above the fan. Seeing it, he had a feeling that Hinata spent much time to make it herself and to her liking, and hopefully his as well.

Without anymore hesitation, Sasuke flipped over the cover and began his quick, yet detailed, scan over every picture placed in the album. The first pictures to greet him were those of his children when they were around a year old. He was actually quite thankful for Hinata's little captions below each picture, which gave him a brief description of what was being depicted. As he continued to flip through the many pages of the twins' childhood, he couldn't control his fingers gliding over their photographed faces, each expression adding another piece to their personality puzzle.

His daughter was beautiful in every way he'd imagined her to be. She had a dazzling smile and soft eyes so closely resembling Hinata's. In fact, little Mikoto looked a lot like his wife in more ways than one. She had the same face shape and dark long hair, with the difference that his daughter liked to sport many different hair stylings ranging from straight to pigtails. And her eyes…they were colored a dark gray, but they were so full of life it nearly made him speechless. He inwardly wondered how she acted and spoke, which were things pictures could not tell.

Riku, oddly enough, reminded Sasuke too much of himself. His eyes were identical to Mikoto's, but they were more observant and calculating as if he wouldn't allow anything to escape his line of sight. Sasuke's eyes radiated intelligence as did Riku's, but the little boy's eyes were not arrogant and smug like his father's. Sasuke supposed that it was because of Hinata's influence. Hinata always had ways to soften people, and their children were no exception.

Sasuke could tell that easily as he looked at each picture of his son. He remembered his childhood vividly, and hated smiling for pictures, which resulted in his smiles looking more like grimaces and that was _with_ his family. Riku was a different matter all together. Each time he was smiling, it appeared genuine and expressive. He wasn't aloof and impassive, as was seen in every photo Riku starred or took part in. Even the photos with a certain blonde-haired, green-eyed boy didn't stop the young Uchiha boy from being expressive; his annoyance was seen perfectly clear.

After awhile, Sasuke began to notice that not all the photos were just of his children. He saw some with an embarrassed Hinata and many with their group of friends. Neji seemed to be in a lot of them and always with Riku next to him and occasionally with Mikoto sitting on the Hyuga's shoulder. "Did you take all these pictures?" Sasuke thought to ask.

"Um, well not really. I took some of them, but they were mostly taken by Ino-chan. Choji-san bought her a camera a couple years ago, and she likes to take pictures every time we're together."

"Hm," Sasuke turned a few more pages, and suddenly found himself feeling slightly aggravated at seeing Neji with his son so many times. Most of the time, they weren't even knowingly posing. A few seemed to be taken when the two were training. One picture in particular was of Neji and Riku frozen in the form of the gentle fist technique. "The Hyuga is in here a lot." He muttered with a small hint of bitterness.

Hinata bit her lip sensing his displeasure. "Neji-kun was a great help to me all these years. He was always coming over and assisting me where needed. Because of that, he became Riku and Mikoto's favorite uncle."

"Favorite uncle, huh?" He exhaled a deep breath and turned the pages more quickly than before. That is, until he caught sight of one picture that made his blood boil. It was of his Hinata and her dog-like teammate kneeling in front of her holding her hand in his. Hinata was blushing madly, and Kiba looked surprisingly serious for once. Sasuke could guess easily what was happening, but he looked at the caption just to be sure. _Kiba proposing on Hinata's 22__nd__ birthday. _Absently, a low growl emitted from his throat. "What the hell is this, Hinata?" Sasuke pierced her with his onyx eyes.

Hinata leaned over to see which picture he was looking at before she colored in embarrassment. "Oh, um…" She laughed nervously. "It was nothing. Kiba-kun was just trying to be funny, I think."

"Really? He sure as hell doesn't look like he's trying to be funny. Actually, he looks pretty serious about it."

Hinata smiled insecurely while waving her hands defensively in front of her. "It's really nothing. Kiba-kun was just trying to be a good friend, and it's not like I accepted or anything,"

"Uh huh."

"A-And, I really didn't have to answer anyway." She paused and hurriedly turned the page while pointing to a few other photographs. "See, look."

Sasuke stared at her skeptically for a few more seconds before looking over a few pictures with Kiba being tackled and attacked by Sasuke's threatening son. There was no caption, but the corner of Sasuke's mouth quirked upward anyway.

Hinata's smile became softer once she noticed that Sasuke had calmed down. "Riku gets so protective sometimes. When he's not busy keeping Akio-kun away from Mikoto, he's making sure no one tries to replace the position of…his father."

Sasuke gazed at her with an unreadable expression, but a carefully hidden sense of regret could be barely seen in his eyes.

Hinata continued. "There were times when Riku wanted a father figure so badly, but…it was in times like those with Kiba-kun that…I could tell that Riku would never want someone to take your place permanently."

"I see. So, he's angry with me, is he?"

Hinata opened and closed her mouth a few times as if deciding how to best word it. "I think he just feels abandoned. No matter how many times I told him that you didn't abandon us, he keeps countering with the exact opposite. What made him angry was that…he felt like you left because you didn't care for him."

Sasuke frowned and gazed blankly at the pages of photographs before him. "When will I see them?"

"Pretty soon. I talked to Neji-kun, and he said he'd bring them over in a little bit. They don't know that you're back yet."

"Hn," He continued looking at the pictures, except with less enthusiasm.

Hinata sighed and tried to lighten the mood with talk of their daughter. "You know, there used to be a lot of pictures of you in here too."

Sasuke raised a brow.

"But, Mikoto took most of them to hang up in her room."

"She…did?"

Hinata nodded happily. "Yup. She's always asking about you and what you're like. She also likes it when I tell her stories about you."

"Stories? Like what?" A slow smile began to form on his mouth.

"Her favorite story is the one I tell about how we met. She seems to like all the romance."

"Romance, hm?" Sasuke smirked. "I didn't think we had any romance in our relationship."

Hinata glared at him jokingly. "You're right. As long as you're involved, romance doesn't exist. I'm beginning to wonder what I ever saw in you."

Now, he was glaring in return and closed the album shut before tossing it on the floor. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Hinata shrugged feigning innocence. "It doesn't have to mean anything, it's the truth." Quite suddenly, she yelped in surprise when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. Before she knew it, she was straddling Sasuke's waist with her knees on each side of his legs. Her hands flew to rest against his chest, and his arms wrapped tightly around her to keep her from moving away.

Sasuke regained his arrogant smirk. "Care to repeat that?"

Hinata flushed, but refused to give in just yet. "You, Sasuke, are not romantic at all and never have been."

Without his smirk disappearing, he bent over and began trailing hot kisses along her throat and jaw line. Occasionally, his tongue would dart out to lick certain spots that made her shudder. "Not romantic at all, huh?" He murmured against her skin sending shivers up her spine. His hands slipped under her top to graze over the soft skin on her back. Her quick breaths against his own skin nearly made him forget himself. "That depends on your definition of romance…Hinata."

She watched with half-lidded eyes as he pulled away only for a moment before taking her lips with his own. She tilted her head to add more passion to the kiss at the same time Sasuke forcibly entered his tongue into her mouth.

And just to add onto Sasuke's frustrations for the day, a loud knock on the front door prevented their passion from going any further. Hinata backed away immediately and jumped off of his lap. Sasuke growled in annoyance.

Hinata turned back to him before exiting the room. "That's probably them. You stay here, I'll be right back, okay?"

"Whatever."

Hinata smiled and left the room with the door closing firmly behind her.

* * *

Hinata opened the front door and was greeted by the sight of Neji and her children. "Mama!" Mikoto ran to give her mother a hug, which Hinata returned with a kiss to the cheek.

When the little girl pulled away, Riku came over a little slower and embraced his mother as well. "Hey, mom."

"How was your grandpa's? Did you have fun?" She asked them and they both smiled.

"Yup!" Mikoto exclaimed. "Grandpa helped me plant more flowers in the garden, but he said that we couldn't do that until after training."

"Yeah, but training was awesome!" Riku added. "Grandpa says I'm getting really good, and that I'm starting to make him sweat now."

Hinata laughed softly and stood up to greet her cousin. "Thank you for bringing them over, Neji-kun."

He shook his head with a smile. "It's not a problem. I would've done it later, but they were begging me to take them home so they could see you and the 'surprise'. Speaking of which, is he here?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes. He's waiting in the bedroom."

"I see." His smile left to be replaced by something closer to comfort. "I'll take my leave then. Good luck."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and Hinata?" Neji spoke up making sure the twins weren't listening; instead, they were chatting to each other about what they learned from their grandfather. "Listen…Whatever happens will happen. A broken bridge can't be fixed just by wishing for it to happen. Let the builders build at their own pace, and everything will be fine."

Hinata softly embraced him and whispered. "Thank you, Neji-kun."

He nodded in return and bid her goodbye before leaving the Uchiha compound.

When he was gone, Hinata turned to her children and knelt down in front of them. "You two ready to see your surprise?"

Mikoto beamed. "Yeah! Please show us, mommy, please?"

Riku crossed his arms and pouted his lips slightly. "What is it, anyway?"

"You'll find out." She stroked his hair lovingly and stood back up before walking towards her bedroom door. "Come on, you two."

The twins followed behind her obediently. Hinata opened the door to her room and stepped to the side to allow her children to enter. Once they did, she closed the door behind them and decided to lean against a nearby wall.

Sasuke was still sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows resting lazily on his knees, but his eyes immediately fell upon the two children standing a few feet in front of him.

As for the twins, they seemed to have frozen completely in shock when they caught sight of the familiar man. They wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for the old pictures Hinata had kept and showed to them for the clear intention of knowing their father when he returned.

Riku stared through wide eyes, and fists clenched at his sides. Mikoto, on the other hand, held her fingers to her mouth shyly and glanced between her mother and father in slight confusion. Finally, she settled on looking at her mother for confirmation. "Mama?"

Hinata smiled. "Mikoto, Riku…meet your father…Sasuke Uchiha."

Riku narrowed his eyes and didn't speak a word.

Mikoto continued to stare at Sasuke in question, her lip being gnawed on timidly.

Sasuke glanced between the two not knowing how to react, how to express the many emotions he was feeling. He remembered holding the two babies in his arms, and they were so small back then. He remembered playing with them and getting them to giggle so freely. Even looking at the pictures didn't seem to suffice for the all the memories he could've gained if the whole Itachi incident never happened. He knew deep within his heart that he would always regret never being there for them and watching them grow from babies to smart children.

In an attempt to break the prolonged silence, Sasuke cleared his throat and a corner of his mouth tilted upwards. "You two have definitely grown a lot."

Riku remained silent, and only stared at the man, who he knew was their father. As he continued to watch, he couldn't help the rising emotions dwelling within his heart and mind. It easily ranged from resentfulness to a tearful relief.

Mikoto huffed in annoyance at her sudden show of timidity, and slowly began to walk towards Sasuke. She stopped when she was directly in front of him and gazing curiously into his dark eyes.

Sasuke, in turn, met her curious gaze with one of his own. "Mikoto…"

Slowly, her hands reached out for him and hesitated a few times before finally resting over his cheeks. With his face held firmly in her small hands, she looked at her mother and brother before locking eyes with her father once again. "You look a lot like Nii-nii." She muttered just above a whisper.

Sasuke resisted the urge to smile and instead stroked his thumb over her cheek tenderly. "You look a lot like your mother."

She practically glowed at the compliment. "I do? Really?" She asked and Sasuke nodded in reply. With only a turn of her head, she looked at her mother. "Did ya hear that, mama? I look like you!"

Hinata smiled warmly. "Uh huh."

Without warning, the little girl jumped into Sasuke's arms wrapping her own small arms around his neck. "I missed you, daddy."

Sasuke only tensed for a quick moment before returning the embrace with as much fervor. "I missed you too, Mikoto."

"You'll stay with us now, right?" She whispered imploringly.

There was no reluctance when he answered. "Of course."

A wide smile etched its way onto her face as she backed up from their embrace. "Forever?"

Sasuke tilted his head in mock contemplation. "Forever is a long time."

A look of depressing sadness flowed over her features quickly.

Seeing this, Sasuke lifted her chin up to face him again. "And I wouldn't want to spend forever with anyone else but my family."

Her smile returned tenfold as she fell into his arms. "Yay! Daddy's gonna stay forever!"

Hinata held her hand over her mouth to stifle her choked laughter. Her eyes moistened in such happiness, it nearly brought her to tears.

"Don't believe a word he says, Miko-chan." Riku interrupted coldly turning everyone's attention on him.

Mikoto turned towards her brother. "But, Nii-nii, daddy's gonna stay with us now. Aren't you happy?"

"Why should I be happy?" He countered angrily. "He left us once, so what makes you think he won't do it again?"

"Riku," Hinata scolded lightly.

The boy glanced at his mother apologetically before focusing his glare on his father. "You act like you care for us, but if you really did you wouldn't have left in the first place!"

Sasuke stood up and took a few measured steps closer to his son. "It wasn't my intention to make you feel as though I abandoned you, Riku."

"Yeah!" Mikoto added trying to defend her father. "Daddy left to go beat up a bad man, remember Nii-nii? The bad man's gone now, right daddy?"

Sasuke nodded. "That's right."

"You see, Nii-nii!" Mikoto ran up to him and tugged on his arm gently. "Daddy didn't abandon us, and now he can stay with us forever!"

Riku shrugged her off. "I don't care what you say. I don't care what anybody says. He may be my father, but I will never ever call him my father! I hate you!" He began to direct his anger towards Sasuke now. "I hate you for leaving us! I hate you for making mom cry, and I hate you for never being there when we needed you the most, and…and…" Shocking to everyone there, barely noticeable tears began to form in his dark gray eyes. "And I hate you for not coming back when I kept wishing that you would…I hate that you were never there to pick me up from school like everybody else's fathers did…and I…hate you…" He was breathing heavily with tears slowly making their way down his sovereign cheeks.

"Riku…" Hinata murmured.

He sniffed and wiped at his face furiously. All too suddenly, he ran out of the room and out of the house.

"Riku!" His mother called out to him with her brows furrowed together in worry.

"Nii-nii, come back!" Mikoto shouted pleadingly, but he was already gone by then.

Sasuke just stood still, fists at his sides, and solemn frown marring his features.

* * *

**Hope you liked the longer chapter. Please show your appreciation, and there'll be some Sasuke and Twins bonding time next chapter. See ya next update. Please review!**


	21. Family

**Author Note: **Just to let you all know, the next chapter will be the last chapter to this series. There will be no more after that, which means that The Final Lullaby will finally come to an end. Profile page is updated! Thank you for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: I do not Naruto.**

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* * *

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**Family**

It was a long moment of silence as Hinata and Mikoto stared at the bedroom door, where Riku had just run through. Sasuke was still standing motionless; head lowered and fists clenched. The Uchiha mother couldn't help but worry, though. She knew Riku had always felt bitter towards his absent father, but she had never heard such powerful words come from him, all emanating his hatred. She also knew that Riku didn't really feel complete and utter hatred toward Sasuke, but he was in pain all these years and seeing his father finally probably caused his emotions to just snap.

With a passing sigh, Hinata began walking towards the door. "Mikoto, stay here with your father. I'll be right back." She muttered passing through the doorway.

However, she wasn't able to get far when she felt a hand grasp around her wrist halting any further movement. Sasuke waited until she turned to look at him before explaining. "Don't."

"Sasuke, I need to go make sure he's okay and—"

"No," The hurt was obvious in his eyes, but he remained steadfast. "If he's anything like me, which I'm positive he is, then it would be best to leave him alone for awhile. Talking to him wouldn't do any good right now, and the current situation is enough to prove that."

"But…"

Sasuke shook his head and pulled her back towards him. "If I was in his position, I would probably react the same way he did. And…he has good reason for saying what he did."

Hinata stepped toward her husband. "No, he doesn't. I anticipated that he would be…somewhat out of sorts when seeing you again, but he had no reason to—"

"He does, Hinata. Believe me on this." He continued sternly. "No matter what you've told him in the past to explain why I've been gone, he still doesn't understand it fully. Mikoto accepted it, I can tell that much, and that's because she just happened to inherit your easy acceptance no matter what it is.

"Riku, on the other hand, can't accept something if he doesn't have all the details. He's young, but I know he's smart. He won't accept the reason that I simply left for six years to kill a 'bad man'. To him, that's not a justifiable reason."

Hinata let out a long exhale of breath. "So, what do we do…?"

"Nothing for now. We'll let him cool down, and I'll think of something. I need to earn his respect first before he will allow himself to call me father." He paused and stroked Hinata's cheek tenderly. "Let me take care of this, alright? This is between my son and I."

Hinata nodded and tried to smile. "Okay…But, um…What do you have in mind exactly?"

Sasuke smirked.

* * *

Neji Hyuga was just settling down for a quick nap when he heard a sharp rapping on his front door. Suppressing a groan of annoyance, he forced himself out of bed and trudged towards the entrance to his apartment. His body moved sluggishly and his face was set in a firm scowl. All he wanted was to get a few hours of sleep since he didn't get any last night due to the analysis of Itachi Uchiha's body.

The analysis, of course, took longer than expected and by the time they were done with that and the report combined, it was already around five in the morning. Instead of going straight home to get some sleep, Neji was busy assisting Naruto with various other classified activities—a.k.a. paperwork.

After arriving home barely an hour ago, he had eaten and showered and just crashed down onto his bed with the clear intention to sleep and not awaken for a few days at least. However, luck didn't seem to be on his side lately since he now had to deal with whoever was at his door.

Opening it stiffly, Neji glared with tired eyes at his "guests". Once he took in the two figures, his eyes widened fractionally. "Uchiha…"

Sasuke smirked. "Hyuga."

"Uncle Neji!" Mikoto exclaimed happily from her position on top of Sasuke's shoulders. With one leg on each side of his neck, her little arms rested atop her father's head.

Neji gazed up at her smiling face and pig-tailed hair before his own mouth twitched into a soft smile. "Hello, Mikoto-chan."

She was practically beaming and hugged her arms around Sasuke's head. "Look, Uncle Neji! It's daddy! Daddy came home!"

The Hyuga chuckled lightly. "I see that." His eyes lowered until he looked upon the Uchiha's face. What he saw nearly made his eyes widen again. Sasuke's eyes were directed upward at his daughter, and along with a soft smile on his lips, his black eyes emanated an obvious and pure love for his child. Shaking his head with another chuckle, Neji folded his arms over his chest. "So, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Sasuke turned from his daughter and faced Neji with a sly smirk. "I have a favor to ask."

"Favor?" Neji's brow quirked upward.

"Well, maybe 'proposition' would be better fitting."

"Care to explain?"

"Of course." Sasuke paused glancing at the giggling Mikoto. "But, it will have to be quick. I promised to take Mikoto around the village for awhile, and she wants ice cream too. You wouldn't happen to know which is the best ice cream parlor, would you?"

* * *

Riku sat down on the warm grass with his knees pulled up to his chest and his gray eyes staring endlessly into the small lake ahead of him. There was a bench off to the side, but he had always preferred sitting on the ground like his mother always did. He could also vaguely remember the many stories his mother told him and his sister about the many times she had spent here with their father.

His sister loved to hear those stories of how their parents fell in love, and even Riku found it interesting to hear all the obstacles they had to go through. His favorite story was the one his mother told about when she was forced to get married to some guy named Yori. His favorite part, of course, just happened to be when his father had almost killed the guy for taking away Riku's mother. When he asked his uncle Neji about it, he got a kick out of hearing what he and his other uncles did to the guy when taking him to the hokage tower.

Pushing away the urge to laugh, Riku sighed and rested his forehead on his entwined arms. He never wanted to admit it out loud, but his father had always sounded so cool and powerful in those stories. He sounded like the kind of father Riku had always wanted. Since his real father wasn't around for most of his life, he had always been around his uncle Neji, who supposedly acted a lot like Sasuke. However, even he knew that no uncle could compare to a real father, to his father Sasuke.

Another part of Riku also didn't want to admit that he was actually…happy that his father returned. All this time, he had questioned whether or not his father was real or just a character in his mother's stories. He never knew if Sasuke Uchiha really existed. So, when he saw him and recognized him, he didn't know how to react. He was so happy to see his father, so relieved to know that he actually had a father in the first place…but before he knew it, his anger had taken over.

For six years, Riku waited for his father. He just wanted his family to be happy, and for his mother to stop crying and looking sad whenever his father's name was brought up. He just…He just wanted his father back.

A hand rested atop his head making him jump in surprise. He swiveled around to see his mother kneeling next to him with a comforting smile on her face. That soon turned to a solemn concern when she noticed a few tears had escaped his eyes unknowingly. Using the pads of her thumbs, she wiped them away and sat next to her son. "Mom?"

Hinata smiled again and crossed her legs. "I knew I'd find you here. This place seems to be your favorite spot now, doesn't it?"

Riku continued to stare at his mother blankly.

She continued. "You know, your father and you aren't so different. You're more alike than I could even hope to describe." She saw his frown from the corner of her eye. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's something you need to know."

"I just want to be alone, mom." He muttered indignantly.

To his surprise, Hinata giggled. "That's proof right there that you and your father are alike. You know, it was your father's idea that I just leave you alone to cool down. He said you'd prefer to be left alone right now."

"He did?" He asked quietly seeing his mother nod. "Then why didn't you?"

Hinata smiled wider and quickly pulled her son closer to her side. "Because I'm your mother, and it's my job to pester you until I see you smile again." She paused. "I love you, Riku, and you're a part of me."

The little Uchiha boy didn't say anything, but he did look around the area to make sure it was just he and his mother. When that was confirmed, he slowly crawled into his mother's lap and cradled himself against her chest. This, of course, caused Hinata to smile softly and embrace her only son with protective arms. While one hand stroked through his raven locks, she gently hummed a soft tune under her breath.

Riku rested his head against Hinata's breast, and his small hands clenched onto her shirt in a way that he would only do when no one else was around. This was another thing he wouldn't willingly admit to, and it was that he loved the comfort of being held by his mother. While his eyes continued his blank gaze out into the trees, he held onto Hinata tighter. "Mom?"

Hinata stopped her humming to listen to him. "Hm?"

"Um…Is…" He fumbled with his words until he was able to gather his thoughts. "Is father really staying?"

Hinata glanced down at his face. "Of course. He's not going to leave ever again."

"Promise?"

"I promise. You believe me, don't you?" she gave him a small teasing smile.

He nodded fervently, knowing that anything his mom said just had to be true.

Hinata opened her mouth to add on, but was halted when she heard a low grumble coming from her son's stomach. She giggled amusedly. "If you were hungry, you should've told me."

A small blush came over his cheeks in embarrassment as he wrapped his arms around his stomach. _Traitor._

Hinata motioned for them to stand up, and once they were, she bent down to his level. "How about you help me with making an early dinner?"

He was about to nod, but stopped himself with a frown. "Is _he _going to be there?"

"Who?"

He pouted his lips and avoided looking at his mother. "Father…"

"Oh. Well, no. He's not there right now. It'll just be you and me."

He looked up at that. "Where's Miko-chan?"

"She went with your father. She was asking for ice cream. They probably won't be back until later."

"Okay. Cause I don't wanna be there if dad's there."

Hinata sighed and caressed his cheek lovingly. "Then let's go, okay?"

"Okay." He was about to start walking, but his mother held him back. Riku gazed up at her questioningly.

Hinata smiled encouragingly. "You have to give me a smile first."

He pouted again before his lips finally quirked up into a grin familiar to Hinata.

She smiled in satisfaction and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead, which made his mouth return to a pout. "Mom…!"

* * *

Sasuke sat on a bench holding an ice cream cone in his hand while he watched the little girl next to him. A smile appeared on his face and his eyes softened at the scene before him. Little Mikoto sat beside her father with one arm looped with his and her other hand clasped around her own ice cream cone. Her legs swung back a forth leaving about a foot between her and the ground. Her pigtails bobbed as she moved her little body to the beat of some nonsensical tune she was humming. A large smile was stretched on her face to match her cute blush, and she happily licked at her ice cream with a childish glee.

Sasuke stared back at his ice cream before taking a tentative bite. As his tongue settled with the sweet flavor, he reminisced on the last time he ate ice cream on a bench. It just happened to be with his wife and during the time when they were just beginning to date. She had bought them ice cream only to find out that he hated sweets. Despite that, he couldn't help but accept the sweet concoction due to the depressed look she wore. It was also when they shared one of the first of many of their kisses.

Smirking at the memory, he glanced at his daughter again. It was strange to think that about seven years ago, he was eating ice cream with Hinata, and seven years later, he's eating ice cream with his daughter, who looked just like Hinata. The only difference was that Mikoto wasn't as timid as Hinata. In fact, the afternoon they spent together proved that she was quite the little firecracker.

His reverie was cut short when he heard his little girl gasp and gaze forlornly at the ground, where her splattered ice cream lay. Her bottom lip trembled before turning the puppy face on her father. "Daddy, I-I d-dropped my ice c-cream…"

He could see the tears begin to develop in her eyes, which made him feel as though his heart was being ripped in two. _Hinata was right. This little girl is going to be the end of me. _He scooted closer to her and wiped the tears from her face. "It's alright, Mikoto. It was an accident."

"I'm s-sorry!" She buried her face in his chest with her little arms wrapping around him.

He was shocked for a moment before embracing her in comfort. After a minute, he pushed her away and made her look into his eyes. "Mikoto, there's no reason to be sorry. Here," He held out his barely touched ice cream. "You can have mine, okay?"

She sniffled and gazed at the treat with want. "R-Really? I can have it?"

He nodded. "Really."

Her eyes glittered with hope. "Really, really?"

His grin spread wider. "Really, really."

Mikoto squealed in happiness and received the treat with eager fingers. Before he could even blink, she was already licking away at the ice cream with fervor. "Thank you, daddy!" She exclaimed while climbing onto his lap and leaning her head against his upper chest.

"Your welcome."

"I love you, daddy." She whispered and snuggled closer to him.

He tilted his head to catch a glimpse of her face before replying softly. "I love you too, Mikoto."

"Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"You promise to stay with us forever?"

"I promise."

She backed away to look him seriously in the eyes. She held her unused hand toward him and extended her little finger. "Pinky promise?"

Sasuke raised a brow at the familiar term, one in which he hadn't heard since he was a child. Even then, he never really used that whole promise thing. At his young age, he still thought it was incredibly dumb. However, seeing his daughter use the tactic made his resolve melt at once. Extending his own little finger, he entwined their fingers together just like how he remembered it being done. "Pinky promise."

She giggled in satisfaction and cuddled into him once again.

From where Sasuke was, he stayed silent with that same soft smile dominating his features. Just under his chin, he could hear the little licks coming from his daughter. "Don't get any of that on my shirt now, understand?"

She nodded against his chest. "I won't, daddy. I promise."

He smirked. "Pinky promise?"

* * *

Despite the somewhat carefree afternoon, dinner that night had become interestingly awkward. The air around the dinner table was filled with tension. The only one who didn't care to notice was Mikoto, who ate her meal hungrily. Riku, on the other hand, would take cautious glances at his father every now and then only to stare back at his plate when he was caught.

Sasuke was quiet and would occasionally share in the small conversation that Hinata would attempt to make. Any time she would try to bring her kids into the conversation, Riku would just give her monosyllables and Mikoto would offer her innocent opinion freely. Apparently, she relished any time her father talked and talked to her. Having him there had never made her more happy than she was at that moment.

Fortunately, dinner ended and Hinata went straight to doing the dishes while Sasuke was dragged by Mikoto to tuck her in. Riku silently followed and went to sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

By the time Sasuke entered his bedroom, Hinata was already under the covers with the lights out. After quickly changing into his night attire, he settled in next to his wife. "What took so long?" Hinata asked when he seemed comfortable.

Sasuke smirked wearily and pulled her body against him. "Mikoto wouldn't go to sleep until I told her a few stories. Is she always like that?"

"Oh, yes. A story before bedtime is always the best remedy."

"She asked about how we met and got married."

Hinata giggled and snuggled further into his body. "Those are her favorites. She loves hearing about those times. She's quite the romantic."

"Hmm…" he moved closer pressing his lips against hers sensually.

Hinata sighed into the kiss and moaned when it soon deepened.

Halfway through their passionate kiss, Sasuke broke away and began running his fingers over her body. "It's been too long."

"Mmm…" Hinata murmured and ran her fingers over his bare chest. "We can't be too loud…"

He chuckled while tugging at her nightgown in irritation. "Agreed."

Hinata suddenly found herself on her back with her husband hovering over her and planting kisses along her neck and collarbone. Running her fingers through his hair, she pulled him down for another longing touch of the lips. "And we should lock the door too…"

"Already took care of it." He paused and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. "It's just you and me now…with six years to make up."

"Six years…" Hinata moaned silently. "We'll be up all night…"

Sasuke smirked and reached for the hem of her gown lifting it up slowly. "Not a problem…"

* * *

The next morning, the twins woke up to find that their father wasn't there and it was only their mother at the stove making their breakfast. Riku, of course, didn't say anything and only took his seat at the table, but Mikoto questioned it worriedly. "Mama, where's daddy?"

Hinata turned towards them with two plates of breakfast in her hands. After placing them down in front of her children, she smiled widely. "Don't worry. You'll see him soon enough. For now, eat your breakfast and get ready. I want to take you two somewhere."

"Where?" Riku spoke up curiously.

"To the training grounds. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean you should be avoiding your training."

The two suddenly appeared quite excited. Without having to say a thing, they both dug into their meals furiously only to run into their room as soon as they were finished.

Hinata smiled at their disappearing forms. _I hope this works, Sasuke…

* * *

_

"Mama, where are we going? Are we almost there yet?" Mikoto asked after they passed yet another training ground, which was empty.

Riku was glancing around at the trees around him. "Yeah, where are we going?"

Hinata smiled and led her two children by the hand. "We're almost there, be patient. And this will be a different kind of training than what you're used to."

"What do you mean, mom?" Riku asked curiously.

"Well, instead of sparring with me, you two are going to watch two other people spar against each other."

"We're just watching? Not fighting or anything?"

"Not this time."

Mikoto sped up to stay by her mother's side. "Who are we gonna watch, mama?"

"You'll see." Hinata paused. "And this type of training won't be so bad. You'll get to see great techniques and even new ones that you've never seen before."

"Really?" The little boy seemed a little more excited now.

"Mhm."

"So, what rank are the people we're watching?"

Hinata smiled as she answered. "One is in ANBU and the other…well, he's pretty much like a Sannin, about the same level as Naruto-kun."

The twins widened their eyes in astonishment and shivered with utter excitement at the spar they were going to watch soon.

Before they knew it, their mother had stopped suddenly and motioned to a tree above them. Taking her lead, the twins jumped onto a high tree branch and sat down on either side of their mother. Below them, they could see another secluded training ground, except this one was occupied.

Riku and Mikoto were even more surprised at seeing whom they were supposed to watch. There, standing apart from each other nonchalantly was their uncle Neji and their father Sasuke. Riku glanced at his uncle realizing that this was the ANBU ranked shinobi his mother was talking about. Technically, Neji was an ANBU captain, but if Hinata said that, the two would automatically know whom she was talking about.

Sasuke, on the other hand, held Riku's gaze longer than his uncle did. Did this mean that his father was like a Sannin like his mother said? That he was about the same level as his uncle Naruto, Konoha's hokage? Was his father really that strong? Riku had always viewed Neji Hyuga to be the strongest, but what if his father defeated Neji? Would that mean that his father was actually really strong?

Neji and Sasuke looked up at the mother and twins once they noticed their presence. They both nodded while Hinata and Mikoto waved.

Neji smirked and eyed Sasuke. When he spoke, he did so that no one else would hear. "I think I'm beginning to understand your plan, Uchiha."

Sasuke mimicked his smirk and rolled his shoulders to get ready for the soon-to-be fight. "Don't expect a fight to the death or anything. I think I've had enough of those lately."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Neji raised a brow. "But, I am wondering why you wanted to do this so soon. In fact, I'm even more surprised that Hinata allowed this, considering you just got out of the hospital a day ago."

The Uchiha only smirked arrogantly. "Hinata did fight me on this, but she clearly understands my intentions. Plus, I think she knows now that even though I just got out of the hospital recently, I'm not weakened in any way."

Neji glowered at him with arms crossed over his chest. "I really hope you don't mean that the way I think you do."

Smirk never faltering, Sasuke decided to do a little further taunting to the over-protective cousin. "Let's just say that it was a _very long _night last night."

The Hyuga growled and clenched his fists while his jaw tightened. "I'm beginning to wonder why we haven't fought like this yet. God knows it would've made me feel better."

"Hn, likewise." Sasuke lowered into a fighting stance seeing that Neji was doing the same. "Shall we?"

Neji activated his byakugan and began to smirk once again. "First to get knocked out or admits defeat loses."

"Agreed." Sasuke activated his sharingan and allowed the pupils in his eyes to spin lazily.

Mikoto leaned forward on the branch taking a good look at the change in her father's eyes. "What's that, mama? What happened to daddy's eyes?"

Riku answered instead, while his own eyes never strayed from Sasuke's. "That's the sharingan, Miko-chan. Don't you remember uncle Kakashi's eye?"

"Oh yeah…"

Hinata smiled at their intrigue. "Riku is right. That is called the sharingan, a special bloodline trait of the Uchiha clan. It is also the other part to your own bloodline limits." She paused and made sure the twins were listening. "If you watch your father throughout this fight, you will be able to see all the techniques you can learn because of that unique bloodline, so pay close attention."

All at once, the two geniuses charged at each other appearing like blurs to anyone watching. Because of this, the little family sitting atop the tree branch had to activate their own bloodline limits in order to see what was happening. Their enhanced eyes darted to every inch of the training area trying to see how the fight was progressing. Mikoto was in awe. "Daddy's so fast…"

Riku nodded his head in agreement. "How does he move that fast? I've never seen _anybody_ move that fast. He's probably faster than uncle Kiba."

Hinata's mouth twitched into a small smile. "It's part of the sharingan technique. Sasuke is able to see things and predict movements before they happen. If you watch closely, you can see that every hit your uncle Neji tries to make gets blocked and defended with amazing accuracy."

Riku nodded again when he saw how Neji was throwing a flurry of attacks on his father, but Sasuke seemed to easily dodge them and reciprocate with a few of his own attacks. In all his young life, Riku had never seen a fight like this. In fact, the spars he'd taken part of and seen were nothing compared to what he was watching at that moment. In simplest terms, it was jaw dropping. The speed, the agility, the strength, the strategy…it all made Riku's eyes widen in amazement.

Even with their bloodlines activated, it was proving quite difficult to see every single attack the two clan geniuses were making. Every time they thought that Neji or Sasuke had made a hit, it would turn out to be a log hitting the ground showing a substitution jutsu. Clones were being used and disposed of, and craters were forming into the ground for every rotation Neji used. _They're really getting into this. _Hinata thought to herself noting that normal spars have certain boundaries that are currently being ignored by Neji and Sasuke.

Suddenly, all three leaned forward in shock when they saw Neji get thrown backwards and Sasuke land perfectly on his feet. Neji skidded back a few meters on his heels before he finally came to a stop, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes stared intently at Sasuke. "Not bad. Fake an opening so that when I attack, you use it to your advantage and attack me instead. Clever."

Sasuke smirked and clutched onto his shoulder. "But it comes with consequences."

"Yes, you let your guard down for a fraction of a second, which allowed me to make my move, although it wasn't as effective as I hoped."

Releasing his shoulder, Sasuke moved it around to regain the feeling that Neji's gentle fist had taken away. "Now that the warm-up is over, are you ready to get serious?"

Neji chuckled. "Of course. Let's see what you got, Uchiha." The two charged at each other once again.

As the fight progressed and hourly minutes passed by, Neji was finding himself very frustrated. He had always been curious about fighting the Uchiha and knew that it would be an interesting battle. However, he had clearly underestimated Sasuke's skill. He should've known that it would be increasingly difficult to stand his own against the one who killed one of the legendary Sannin and the infamous Itachi Uchiha. Despite just coming out of the hospital, Sasuke was fighting flawlessly.

First of all, it appeared that the Uchiha knew every single one of Neji's moves and techniques, or at least most of them. And even the ones he didn't know prior, he only had to use his sharingan to copy them and avoid them later. All Neji could do was keep using his ultimate defense and hope that Sasuke tires out soon.

The battle paused momentarily as their hits deflected each other. Each man was standing opposite each other in the training field with a good amount of distance separating them. They were both breathing heavily with a few droplets of sweat beading down their foreheads. Their eyes locked onto each other and their backs seemed to hunch over slightly. Finally, Neji smirked. "I definitely underestimated you. I had no idea you knew most of the Hyuga techniques."

Sasuke breathed a chuckle. "You forget that I used to train with Hinata on occasion. I gained some much-needed data from those training sessions. I can't exactly copy any of the Hyuga moves, but I at least know how to deflect them." When he paused, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a sly smirk. "Of course, the majority of our training sessions were never really about training at all…At least, not the kind you're wishing it was."

A threatening growl reverberated throughout Neji's chest. All too suddenly, he lowered himself into his palms technique stance. It was vaguely recognizable to Sasuke, but not to where he would know how to avoid it completely. "You'll regret saying those words."

Sasuke's smirk disappeared as he readied himself for this new attack. "Then let's finish this already. I hate fights that drag on forever. I hope you don't mind that we settle it right here right now."

"Of course not. I hate beating around the bush. So, yes, let's…settle this quickly."

When Neji made no move to attack, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and experimentally charged his opponent. That was proven to be the wrong move when Neji used his empty palm attack on Sasuke causing the Uchiha to fly back hitting his back against a tree. He could feel the air get knocked out of him, but he quickly recovered and scowled at the Hyuga. "That's a nice trick…"

"Yes," Neji smirked maliciously and lowered himself into another stance. "But I think you'll like this one better. In case you don't know, you are in the range of my divination."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at the familiar term that he had once heard about from Hinata. Before he could fully stand, Neji ran at him using his 64 palms technique. Fortunately for Sasuke, he managed to stop Neji's attack not even halfway through by gripping onto his wrists and flinging him across the clearing.

Recovering from the shock, Neji looked up only to use his rotation at the oncoming flurry of shuriken and kunai. As soon as the rotation slowed, Neji put up his arms to defend himself against another rampage of Sasuke's punches and kicks.

From above, Hinata watched in silence as Sasuke got by her cousin's defenses and landed another hit to his face, which resulted in Neji hitting the ground with enough force to make him gasp in pain. Likewise, Riku and Mikoto were in shock at the turn of events. They had seen their uncle Neji spar against many people, and he always won. Strangely, it was their father who was winning, but not effortlessly.

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke disappeared from their line of sight and each one of them were looking around frantically for him. Neji, however, was more on guard and alert. His expert eyes scanned every inch of the training ground and couldn't see him anywhere. "Shit."

Finally, it was Hinata who saw the first action taken. She gasped in horror and turned to her elder cousin hurriedly. "Neji-kun! Behind you!"

Neji quickly turned around seeing a kunai coming right at him. He would've noticed it sooner, but it was apparent that Sasuke knew about his blind spot. Moving with agility, he managed to use his own kunai to deflect the other one. At the same time he heard the cling from the connecting metal, he stiffened at feeling a blade against his throat along with another kunai held against his spine.

The Hyuga shook his head and smirked knowing whom it was looming behind him. "Damn…"

Sasuke copied his smirk, but didn't release his threatening pose. "Say it, Hyuga."

Neji sighed and his shoulders sunk. "I admit defeat."

With a small victorious grin, Sasuke backed away and pocketed his kunai knives. "We'll have to do this again. It was…entertaining."

"I agree." Neji replied brushing the dirt off his shoulders and pants legs. "But next time, we will have to keep Hinata from coming. Although, if she hadn't said anything, I would've been dead."

"Not necessarily." Sasuke muttered taking a quick glance at his approaching family. "I was counting on Hinata or one of the kids to say something to alert you, but if they didn't, I would've stopped it."

"Oh really?" He raised an amused brow.

"Yes. It's not my intention to kill my wife's cousin in a spar. I don't think she'd appreciate that."

"Nice to know that you're learning proper etiquette."

Sasuke glared at him in response just before Hinata jogged up to them with her two children at her sides. She furrowed her brows together as she glanced between the two men. "I'm s-so sorry…I interrupted your fight, and…I shouldn't have said anything…I—"

Neji chuckled and patted Hinata's shoulder lightly. "It's fine, Hinata. It just shows that the Uchiha anticipated the battle and predicted every movement, including those not participating in the spar. He also knows the Hyuga clan's weakness." At this, he raised an inquiring brow at his younger cousin.

Hinata blushed under her gaze and tapped her fingers together shamefully. "S-Sorry…"

Sasuke frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't apologize, Hinata. It was an accident that I found out about it." He met Neji's stern gaze to explain. "We were training and I was throwing kunai at her to test out her byakugan. She was able to block all the kunai except one. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw that she obviously didn't see it."

Sasuke suddenly grunted when something small collided with his legs. He glanced down to see his daughter hugging his legs tightly. "Mikoto…?"

"You did so good, daddy!" she cried gleefully.

Sasuke smiled and lifted her up until she was straddling his waist with her arms wrapping around his neck lovingly. When she was comfortable, she rested her head on his shoulder.

Riku watched all this with indignation. His face formed into a pout, but he couldn't help but still be in awe at his father's skill. He also couldn't help but think that…his dad was really cool just like in the stories his mother used to tell them.

Neji saw the emotions flow through his nephew's eyes, and the Hyuga ended up smirking because of it. "Well, I better be off. Lee wanted me to train with him today."

Hinata smiled and hugged her cousin. "Thank you for doing this, Neji-kun."

He embraced her back. "It's not a problem. I can tell that Riku's eyes are finally being opened…along with his heart."

Hinata nodded and backed away from her cousin. "We'll see you later, Neji-kun."

"Of course."

Sasuke nodded to him and Neji gave them all a half-wave before turning on his heel to leave. As he was departing, he could hear his nephew and niece yelling their good-byes to him as well.

When Neji's form disappeared, Hinata glanced at her quiet son before turning to her daughter. "Mikoto, want to race me to the house?"

The little girl's eyes widened in happiness as she jumped from her father's arms and nodded fervently. "Let's race, mama!"

"Okay," Hinata faced Sasuke and winked before turning to her son. "Riku, walk with your father back to the house. Your sister and I are going to get started on lunch."

Riku nodded solemnly without even looking at his father.

Hinata smiled encouragingly and bent down near her daughter. "Okay, Mikoto…Get ready, get set…Go!"

At that, the two females disappeared into the dense forest leaving father and son behind. Sasuke sighed inaudibly and stuffed his hands into his pockets before walking toward their home. Without having to look to his side, he knew that his son was walking alongside him, albeit noiselessly.

The further they walked, the more the silence grew. Now, Sasuke and Riku were quiet people and usually didn't mind the silence, but this was just awkward. Both of them wanted to say something, but could only open their mouths before quickly shutting them. Sasuke ended up sighing again while rubbing his temples with his forefingers. "Listen Riku—"

"Hey, um…" Riku paused seeing that his father was paying complete attention to him instead of trying to say what he had started. Seeing it as his chance to say what he has been wanting to since the end of the spar, he quickly began while not looking at the man next to him. "I…was wondering…"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Uh…" The little boy licked his lips nervously before finally facing his father with a familiar stern glare. "Would you train me?"

Sasuke raised a brow in amusement. "Is that a demand or a request?"

Riku lowered his gaze and murmured quietly. "A request…"

"Ah…"

Riku's attention snapped up to Sasuke with determination. "I was just asking, so don't expect me to beg or anything…"

Sasuke chuckled surprising the boy before mussing his hair affectionately, which made Riku's cheeks redden and eyes to open wide in shock. "I wouldn't call you my son if you did. Begging, I mean."

Riku was quiet as he let that one action swarm through his mind. He had seen that familiar gesture being used between fathers and sons from when his classmates would get picked up after class. No one—not even his uncle Neji—had done that to him. His father did, though, and…oddly enough, Riku couldn't stop the shaky grin from forming onto his childish features.

Ignoring the small lapse of silence, Sasuke continued with his arms crossed over his chest and an arrogant smirk dominating his mouth. "I'll agree to train you, but on one condition."

"What is it?" The little Uchiha asked curiously.

Sasuke's smirk widened. "You have to acknowledge me as your father." His smirk softened into a smile. "Not to mention, you'll have to work hard because I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Okay…"

"You have to go to the academy tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Then we can start when you get out."

For the first time since Sasuke returned, Riku smiled genuinely. "Okay…father."

* * *

**Okay, Please review! Remember, next chapter will be the last and final!**


	22. Finale

**Author Note: **This is the last chapter! No more after this! I also want to thank everyone who reviewed and I'm going to finish my final thanks at the end of the chapter.

**About the Chapter: **Many of you asked that I put in something about the kids when they're older. At the end of the chapter, I skipped ahead some years and did a little mini-chapter type thing with light humor to it. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, but it's there if you do. That is also why this chapter is definitely the longest of the whole series.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**

* * *

**

**Finale**

As the rain beat against the windows, lightning flashed and lighted the dark bedroom briefly before a boom of thunder followed. Even as the storm commenced, Sasuke and Hinata remained steadfastly asleep. They breathed deeply as Hinata curled against her husband with one arm resting on his bare chest, and Sasuke's arm wrapped around her torso to keep her close even in deep slumber.

Amidst their peaceful rest, the door to their bedroom quietly opened followed by a small figure inching into the room before closing the door just as silently. Small feet padded on the floor until they stopped at the edge of the couple's bed. A childish arm reached out and tapped timidly on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke, being the light sleeper he is, immediately awoke, albeit groggily. He blinked many times before turning and focusing his sleepy gaze on the shadowed figure at his bedside. "Mikoto…?" He cleared his throat. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The little girl shifted her gaze to different parts of the room as she clenched her hands in front of her chest while once in awhile reaching her finger up to bite on her nails. Finally, her gray eyes settled on her father's wondering face before speaking. "I-I'm scared, daddy…"  
"Scared? Why? What's going on?" His eyes suddenly widened and he sat up quickly while activating his sharingan and searching the room threateningly. "Is somebody in the house? Did you see something or someone? Where are they, I'll kill them."

Mikoto shook her head and grasped onto her father's large hand. "N-Nobody is in the house, daddy…It's just…I…um…"

Sasuke deactivated his bloodline limit and stared at his daughter confusedly. "What?"

She gulped and glanced out the bedroom window at all the rain pelting against the glass. "I…I'm s-scared b-because—" She shrieked when she saw the flash of lightning and whimpered when the thunder was heard.

Instantly, Sasuke knew what had made her scared. "You're scared of the storm?"

She nodded with a pout on her lips. "C-Can I stay with you, daddy?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment and glanced over at his still sleeping wife. When he turned back to his daughter, he sighed and scooted closer to Hinata allowing a good amount of space between him and the bedside. "Come on in."

Mikoto beamed and dove into the lifted up covers before cuddling against her father. When Sasuke saw that she was settled, he placed the blanket over her and lay back down. Once he was comfortable again, he could feel Mikoto scoot closer to him until her face was buried in his chest and her little arms wrapped snuggly around one of his arms. Her eyes closed and a content smile graced her features. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, Mikoto."

"Goodnight, daddy."

"Goodnight." He hesitantly kissed her forehead and watched while she slowly drifted off into her dream world. As soon as he knew that she was deep in sleep, his fingers reached out and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. Receiving his hand back to his side, he closed his eyes and waited until sleep came back to him.

Just when he could feel his body relax into slumber, he felt his wife's arms wrap around him again before her soft lips planted a kiss on his neck. "Thank you…"

"For what?" He turned to her noticing the soft smile on her lips.

"For being a good father to them."

He snorted quietly. "Good father? You call leaving for six years being a good father?"

Hinata reached her hand up to caress his cheek lovingly. "Look at her face, Sasuke."

He obeyed her and glanced at the sleeping girl beside him. Her smile had faded, but she looked so comforted and content in her sleep.

Hinata continued. "Can't you see how much she loves and treasures you? As long as she has her father back, I really don't think she cares about the six years you were gone."

"How can she be so accepting?" he whispered.

Hinata sighed. "Because she's not stubborn like you. I swear, you and Riku are too much alike." Her eyes closed as she regained her position beside him. "Now, go to sleep."

Sasuke smiled lightly and pressed his lips against Hinata's before finally falling back to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, all three woke up to the loud thud of the bedroom door opening revealing a disappointed Riku Uchiha. Sasuke sat up quickly while the two females at his sides merely rolled over before sitting up and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. "Riku?" Hinata mumbled putting on a smile. "What is it, sweetie?" 

Riku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was just wondering where Miko-chan was, but now I see that she was being a scaredy-cat again."

"Nii-nii!" Mikoto whined jumping off the large bed and approaching her older brother. "I was scared and you never let me sleep in your bed."

"Because we're ninjas, Miko-chan! Ninjas don't get scared, especially from something as stupid as thunder and lightning."

Mikoto huffed and clenched her fists at her sides. "At least I'm not scared of the Easter bunny!"

Riku's face colored before he scowled at his twin. "I am _not _scared of that stupid rabbit!"

"Yes you are! I hear you talk about it in your sleep!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes huh!"

"You're such a liar, Miko-chan!"

"You are, Nii-nii! Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

"Shut up, Miko-chan!"

Sasuke had his brow raised in irritation at the sudden quarrel.

Meanwhile, Hinata sighed and stepped out of bed calmly. She slipped on a robe and tied it as she walked towards her children. When she was right beside them, she knelt down to their level. "That's enough, you two."

The twins stopped their arguing immediately and looked ashamedly at their mother.

"It's too early in the morning to be fighting, and you two shouldn't be fighting anyways. You're supposed to love each other, and it's okay if you're scared. Even the greatest ninja have fears, you know."

"They do?" Riku raised a brow skeptically.

"Mhm." Hinata smiled and ushered them to the door. "Now, go get ready and eat some breakfast. I'm going to drop you two off at the academy before I head to work."

"Yes, mom."

"Okay, mama!"

Hinata grinned amusedly as she watched her children scurry out of the bedroom and head towards their own bedroom. Before she knew it, two arms had encircled her waist pulling her against a naked chest. She could feel hot breath against her ear before feeling lips on her neck. "Sasuke…"

"You know, I specifically remember being harshly punished whenever I got into a fight."

Hinata bit her lip to hide a growing smile. "Not all children learn through brutal discipline, Sasuke. You must've been a very naughty boy growing up."

"You say that like I'm not anymore." He nibbled on her earlobe teasingly.

Hinata giggled and pushed him away. "Well, naughty boy, I need to take a shower and get ready for work."

"Mmm…" Sasuke smirked as he watched his wife walk towards the bathroom while slipping off her clothes as she went. "A shower does sound nice right now." He commented as he followed her into the bathroom and locked the door behind them.

Hinata shook her head and bit her lip to stifle the rising giggle.

* * *

Hinata bent down near her kids as they all stopped in front of the academy. This was normal routine for the family. So she smiled and kissed the foreheads of her children. "Have a good day and be good for your sensei, alright?" 

"We will, mama." Mikoto smiled and hugged her mother.

"I'll come pick you two up after class, okay? So, be watching for me."

The two nodded in understanding and waved their good-byes before running toward the building housing the many students training to be genin.

Hinata smiled again and turned to leave. As she walked toward the hospital, she remembered that she had wanted Sasuke to come with them to drop them off, but apparently he already had plans to train with Naruto in one of the few times the ramen-lover was actually allowed free time. Kakashi was supposed to show up too, but she could tell that Sasuke didn't have high expectations on that happening. Exhaling deeply, the Uchiha matriarch began to smile happily as she relished in the fact that her family was finally complete.

Sasuke was home, Mikoto was ecstatic that she now could spend time with her father, and even Riku was starting to warm up to him. She had a feeling that a few more training sessions between father and son would create a bond nearly unbreakable. At least, that's what she was hoping for, and Hinata never hoped for the impossible.

* * *

Naruto gave off a laugh that sounded a lot like a wheeze. Throwing his kunai aside, he collapsed to the ground and watched as Sasuke did the same thing minus the laughing part. Lounging on the ground across from each other, they breathed deeply and wiped the sweat from their brows. Their muscles were sore and it felt like nearly all their energy was gone. Well, it at least felt that way to Sasuke. Naruto seemed to always have endless amounts of energy, even after their many hours of training. 

"That was fun…" Naruto sighed happily before laying back on the cool grass. "It feels like it's been so long since I've trained. Being hokage really keeps me busy…"

"What did you expect it to be like? Roaming around the village telling everyone that you're the best ninja there is? Yeah right…" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Naruto pouted and sat back up to glare at his best friend. "Well, I sure as hell wasn't expecting there to be so much paperwork! Honestly…why is the best ninja in all of Konoha have to be the one to do the paperwork?"

"Cause you're the leader, dumb ass."

"Hey, watch it! I'm the hokage, and that means I can punish you any time and any day!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto stood up readying his fists.

Sasuke stood straight up as well and returned to his previous fighting stance. "Yeah, let's see what you got loser!"

"You're on!"

"Now, now, boys." A familiar voice entered the clearing making them halt any further movement. "I thought you two had finally matured over the years, so what's this about?"

The two men looked over to the direction of the voice and saw their old sensei crouching on a tree branch waving a friendly hello. "Late as always, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto noted with a grumble. It seemed that over the years, Naruto was never able to drop the honorific to Kakashi's name even though the blonde was at a higher rank than the copy ninja.

Sasuke merely stared blankly at the gray-haired man. "The idiot's right. We're pretty much done training anyway. I have to get going soon."

"Me too." Naruto nodded fervently while shoving a kunai into his pouch.

"Actually," Kakashi spoke up. "I never intended on coming to train with you guys, but I had to come anyways to tell Sasuke something."

Naruto grumbled again to himself while he finished putting away his gear.

Sasuke raised a brow at the other man. "What is it?"

Kakashi's friendly smile faded in an instant. "Just thought I'd let you know that Itachi's body is prepared for burial. He's already in the casket, and it should be at your house in a few hours."

Sasuke nodded solemnly not noticing how quiet everyone had gotten, even Naruto.

"Were you thinking about holding a funeral?"

"No," Sasuke sighed. "What would be the point? It's not like Itachi was liked by many people here in Konoha."

"True."

Naruto, sensing the rising tension, decided to try to lighten up the mood. "So, Sasuke, I heard you beat Neji in a spar yesterday."

Sasuke only nodded in acknowledgement of Naruto's question.

Attempt failed.

After awhile, Sasuke sighed again. "Er, thanks, Kakashi. I have to get going now…don't want to be late…"

Kakashi only nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Snapping out of his momentary daze, Naruto soon sped up after Sasuke since they were headed in the same direction.

* * *

"I so beat you at shuriken practice today, Riku!" 

"You wish." The gray-eyed boy scoffed. "You're obviously blind because I was way ahead of you."

"No way!"

"Yeah. Face it, loser, you're nothing but a dead last when compared to me."

"You take that back, Riku!"

"Heh, why should I?"

Mikoto shifted her bored gaze between her brother and friend as they argued relentlessly. It wasn't anything new, but it was getting quite irksome. Here the trio was sitting outside in the front of the academy waiting for at least one of their parents to come pick them up. The little Uchiha girl remembered her mother saying that she was going to pick them up, but her mother hadn't arrived yet.

Her mother wasn't late or anything, but Mikoto wished that they could be picked up now—anything to end the arguing between the two boys. A deep sigh escaped her lips before she drifted her gaze elsewhere. Not too far from them, she could see her classmate Hojo, the boy who was very mean to her not too long ago, with his father who had come to pick him up obviously. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the older man with his left arm in a sling, which was due to her mother's wrath.

Turning away from the two, she nearly passed over another familiar duo approaching the academy's lawn. Her face brightened at seeing her father and uncle Naruto walking in their general direction. Racing past her brother and blonde friend, she ran to stand in front of the two adult best friends. She opened her mouth to greet her father, but stopped when she saw that they hadn't even noticed her. In fact, they were scowling at one another heatedly.

"Don't be such a sore loser, Sasuke." Naruto smirked teasingly. "Just admit it. It's not hard."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke glared fiercely.

"Just admit that I beat you in that spar. In fact, you're welcome to go so far as to say that I kicked your ass senseless."

Sasuke snorted. "You're completely delusional. What makes you think you could ever even dream of 'kicking my ass senseless' when you probably can't even kick a rock."

"What? Take that back!"

"Give me a reason to."

"Oh, I'll give you a reason!"

Mikoto glanced back at Riku and Akio, who were still arguing, and then to her father and uncle. Releasing a deeper sigh, she tugged lightly on her father's shirt trying to draw his attention. "Daddy,"

-----

Akio had his fists ready at his sides while Riku continued to look at him impassively. It seemed no matter what he said, the other boy always had a quick retort, which made his blood boil with anger. Just before he could actually reply, he was interrupted by someone approaching them.

"Well, well, look who it is, father." Hojo crossed his arms over his chest with a malicious smirk on the young boy's face.

Fujio Kurosaki, Hojo's father, stood behind his son with a matching smirk. "Come now, Hojo. Let's not bother ourselves with these two."

"You're right, dad. It would be a total waste of our time."

Riku scowled along with Akio, who stood at his side in another way of preparing for battle. "What do you want?" the young Uchiha drawled.

Akio smiled haughtily. "Isn't it obvious, Riku? I think they want your mom to beat up Hojo's old man again."

Fujio frowned and tightened his jaw irritably. "Be wary of who you're talking to, kid."

"Yeah!" Hojo added. "That's my dad, so watch it!"

Riku chuckled. "Who says I have to? Your dad's just a big push-over."

Hojo growled. "No he's not! Your mom just got lucky that one time. I bet your dad couldn't even take my dad!"

Fujio laughed mockingly. "Don't be ridiculous, son. Have you forgotten? This boy doesn't have a father. At least, the one he _had _isn't around anymore, now is he?"

Riku tightened his hands into fists and absently activated his bloodline limit. "Why you…"

"Is there a problem here, Riku?" A dark voice sounded just behind the little boy.

Riku turned around and fixed his gaze onto the dark-haired man behind him, who he could only identify as his father.

Sasuke did not look anywhere but the Kurosaki duo in front of him. His expression appeared disinterested, but his eyes were threatening. Yes, he had heard the last part of the conversation and wasn't too happy about what had been said.

Fujio fixed his glare onto the newcomer, whom he had never seen before but did look familiar. "And who the hell are you?" he asked venomously.

Sasuke smirked. "I'm shocked that you don't recognize me."

"Heh, and why would I recognize you?"

Just as Sasuke parted his lips to answer, his son beat him to it. "His name is Sasuke Uchiha, and…" Riku hardened his gaze on the two in front of him. "He's my father."

Hojo looked confused and Fujio raised a brow giving the older Uchiha a once-over. It took everything in him to hide the fearsome tremors filling his gut.

A low chuckle emitted from Sasuke as he hid his eyes behind his black bangs. "If that still doesn't ring any bells, I'm sure this will jog your memory." He looked up and glared heatedly at Fujio with his sharingan activated and spinning rapidly.

Fujio gasped as if he was just stabbed in the stomach. All at once, just by locking eyes with the sharingan, he felt immense fear well up inside his entire body. He gulped and felt sweat began to trickle down from his brow. "Y-Y-You were gone…You l-l-left…"

Sasuke just smirked sadistically and stepped closer until his hand was fisted into the Kurosaki's shirt, which enabled him to pull him closer so he could whisper his death threat. "If you or your pathetic excuse for a son ever come near my family again…I will make you scream and beg for death before I'm even close to being done with you…understand?"

"That's enough, Sasuke." Naruto interrupted after he watched Fujio nod his head with fervor. "Let's just go before our wives do worse to us."

Sasuke didn't say anything and only lowered the other man to the ground before deactivating his sharingan and stepping away. With a shrug, he slipped his hands into his pockets and motioned for his children to follow him. Riku and Mikoto glanced at each other before following obediently.

Naruto watched the family walk away before turning his attention onto the offending man and his son. For once, he looked on with a serious expression. "Go home, Kurosaki. And if I were you, I'd steer clear of the Uchiha family from now on."

Fujio looked at Naruto and was tempted to glare in indignation, but decided against it and bowed instead. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Come, Hojo."

"But, dad! I thought you said that Riku doesn't have a father! Dad!"

Naruto sighed and turned to face his son, who was standing at his side, but his attention was on the disappearing form of Mikoto. The older blonde laughed heartily and held his son to his side. "Of all the girls to choose from, son…You just had to choose the girl with the most over-protective dad you'll ever meet."

Akio furrowed his brows and gazed up at his father incredulously. "What do you mean, dad?"

Naruto ruffled his hair affectionately. "You'll find out soon enough."

-----

Walking away from the academy, Sasuke took the lead with Riku and Mikoto following closely behind him. He was still angry about the conversation between him and the Kurosaki, but he was gradually calming down. He honestly had no idea what that guy's problem was. What kind of a guy picks a fight with an Uchiha, especially when the said guy obviously has a broken arm? Who did he think he was to just come and start harassing his kids? What right did he have? Absolutely no right at all, and if it wasn't for Naruto's interruption, Sasuke would've shown that man just how wrong he was.

"Daddy?" Mikoto smiled as she slipped her hand into her father's larger hand.

Sasuke was snapped out of his short reverie to gaze down at his innocent daughter's face. "What is it?"

"Um, I…I thought mommy was gonna pick us up?"

"She was, but…" Sasuke gave her a small smile. "Your mother is a little busy so I offered to pick you two up instead." He paused and looked back at his son, who was following on his other side, albeit a little slower. Sasuke reached back and pulled his son up next to him while keeping his hand on Riku's shoulder. "By the way, how was school?" He felt awkward asking it, but felt like he needed to.

Riku's eyes widened a little bit, and knew that this was what it felt like to have a father pick his child up from school. He had seen this happen between many fathers and sons, but never knew what it was really like. Now he knew and…it made him release a soft smile.

Mikoto beamed at the question. "It was good, daddy!"

"That's good."

"So, uh…where are we going?" Riku asked taking notice that they weren't walking the normal way back to their home.

Sasuke gave him a side-glance before facing forward again. "To the Hyuga compound. Mikoto is going to be staying with your grandfather while you and I go train until dinner tonight."

-----

After Mikoto had been dropped off at the Hyuga compound, Sasuke led Riku to a training area that he had used often in the past. It was where he had always trained as a child before he became part of a genin team, which was granted a different training ground. The one he was headed for now was a secluded place that only he and Hinata knew about. Sasuke smirked inwardly while remembering why they chose the secluded spot compared to other areas. Training with his wife was a difficult matter considering they would train until they would sweat, and then sweat some more due to a different kind of training. Cursed hormones.

Pushing away his trail of thoughts, Sasuke finally stopped walking when they arrived at the small clearing. The grass was slightly overgrown and the tree leaves provided a thick foliage of shade from the overbearing sun. There were wooden dummies set up on one edge of the clearing and various targets nailed into the tree trunks. It was definitely worn down, but still effective.

"Is this it?" Riku asked curiously while scrutinizing the unfamiliar terrain.

"Mm." Sasuke replied with a short nod.

"I've never seen this place before."

"That's because nobody knows about it except for your mother and I." Sasuke turned halfway around to face his son. "Consider it a family secret. You're welcome to come here to train anytime you like."

"Really? Wow…"

Slowly, a smirk formed on Sasuke's lips before he turned to fully face Riku. "Well…Let's get started. First, I want to see what you're capable of doing so far. After that, I think we should start working on how to bring out the sharingan in that unique bloodline of yours."

* * *

Sharingan activated, Sasuke continued to block every hit his son made against him. One thing was for certain about Riku—he was fast. Not only that, though, Riku was also very alert and aware of his surroundings. He watched intently every move that Sasuke made, and formed plans within his mind on how to counter them. Overall, Sasuke was impressed by his son's skill. "Your mother did a good job making sure you were training right." 

Riku was breathing heavily, and could only nod in reply as he stepped aside to avoid one of his father's aggressive punches. His bloodline was activated, and yet he was still having a very difficult time trying to keep up with his father.

After a few more attempting hits, Sasuke caught Riku's fists to halt any further movement from the boy. Looking down on Riku, Sasuke could easily see the sweat pouring down his face and neck. His little cheeks were flushed, which vaguely reminded him of how Hinata looked when she was tired. Showing off a smirk, Sasuke released his son's fists and backed away. "Let's take a break."

Riku stared blankly for a moment before nodding and running to catch up with his father. When he was close enough, he quickly caught a canteen that was thrown at him. He gazed at his father silently as the older Uchiha drank from his canteen. Deeming the action as okay, Riku started to do the same.

Sasuke exhaled deeply and sat down on the ground with his back against a large tree trunk. Resting the canteen in-between his legs, he watched as Riku eventually sat next to him, mimicking his posture. "Tell me, Riku," Sasuke started. "Who was that man back at the academy? The one with the broken arm."

Riku swallowed another gulp of water before finally answering his father's question. "That was Fujio Kurosaki and his son Hojo. Hojo is in our class and he's more trouble than he's worth."

"Why's that?"

"Hojo just likes to pick fights with everybody because he thinks he's the best or something."

"Has he ever picked a fight with you?"

"Yeah…on my birthday. He made Miko-chan cry, so Akio and I fought him and his friends." Riku let out a ghost of a smile. "Hojo and his friends had to be taken care of by a team of medics. Akio and I ended up perfectly fine."

Sasuke chuckled in amusement and patted his son's head in pride. "That's my boy."

"That's not all, though." Riku spoke up quickly surprising himself with how excited he was when it came to telling his father a story. "Did you know that the broken arm Hojo's father had is because of mom?"

Sasuke froze and stared at his son questioningly. "What?"

"Yeah, when mom came to pick us up after the fight, she and aunt Sakura had to meet Hojo's father. Well, Kurosaki-san said some weird things to mom. I didn't hear all of it, but it sounded like he wanted to marry mom or something and be our new father." Riku trailed off not noticing the growing anger rising in Sasuke. "So, then Kurosaki-san took mom's wedding ring and that's when mom got really mad. I saw her use some type of gentle fist move and it knocked that old guy through a couple of classrooms. He was so beat up, aunt Sakura had to have another medic team come and pick him up."

By the end of Riku's tale, Sasuke's anger had dissipated to be replaced by a light-hearted laughing. He almost felt bad for that guy. When Hinata was mad, she was not one to be messed with.

Riku absently shivered at the memory. "Mom was really scary that time, but…she was also really cool."

"I have a feeling that if your mother was a big-time fighter, she'd scare a lot of people." Sasuke muttered still wallowing in amusement.

Riku smiled. "Yeah…" There was a brief moment of silence before Riku noticed something intricately detailed on his father's upper arm. He looked at it closely and widened his eyes when he read the familiar kanji form of his name. "That's…my name."

"Hn?" Sasuke glanced at Riku before following his gaze to the tattoo on his upper arm. "Yes, it is."

"Miko-chan's and mom's names are there too."

"Yes," Sasuke pointed to the middle of the tattoo where another kanji word was. "Do you know what this says?"

Riku nodded and read it aloud. "It means 'family'."

Sasuke nodded in agreement and leaned back against the tree trunk again.

Riku studied the tattoo a little more before gazing up at Sasuke. "Do you have other tattoos?"

"No…Just this one."

"Why?"

"Because…" The corner of Sasuke's mouth quirked upward. "I wanted a part of my family with me at all times. There was not a second in the past six years that I forgot about your mother, your sister, and you."

Riku widened his eyes in surprise before lowering his gaze to his lap.

"Of course…" Sasuke muttered. "Even without it, I'd never forget those I love."

Riku wanted to smile, but somehow felt bad about how he had viewed his father up until now. But still…he couldn't fully change his view until he knew for sure what his father's reasons were for leaving. For that reason, Riku fiddled with the cap to his canteen while speaking up about his question. "Um…Would you tell me…why you really left us? I mean, mom said you had to fight a bad guy, but…"

Sasuke smirked lightly. "That reason doesn't do it for you, huh?"

Riku shook his head. "Mom wasn't lying though, right?"

"No, she didn't lie to you, but she didn't elaborate either." Sasuke sighed. "I wasn't planning on telling you the whole story until you were older, but I think you're mature enough to understand it now…at least, the major details anyway."

Riku nodded and scooted closer to his father so he could easily hear the entire story.

With another sigh, Sasuke began. "Over twenty years ago, the Uchiha clan was a very prestigious clan, much like the Hyuga. However, the Uchiha clan, my family, was massacred when I was only a few years older than you."

"Massacred?" Riku asked in shock.

"That's right. The entire clan was killed by a man named Itachi Uchiha, and I was the only one spared that night. Care to know why?" Sasuke saw Riku nod his head. "Because Itachi Uchiha…was my older brother."

Riku felt frozen in shock. If this murderer was his father's brother, then that meant that the murderer was also Riku's blood uncle.

Sasuke continued. "After the massacre, I was left behind in Konoha while my brother left the village and ended up joining a notorious group of criminals known as the Akatsuki. Anyway, a few months before you and your sister were born, Itachi came back to Konoha and threatened to do very bad things to your mother if I didn't find and kill him."

"He tried to hurt mom?" Riku asked incredulously with a hint of anger.

"Yes, and you and Mikoto as well. So, of course, I wanted nothing more than to go track him down and kill him so that my family would be safe." Sasuke smiled sadly. "But…Hinata wouldn't have it. She didn't want me risking my life, especially when it was so close to the birth of our children. So, staying by your mother's side, I remained here in Konoha to be there at yours and Mikoto's birth as well as live through my birthday party." He rolled his eyes at this. "Everything seemed fine for awhile, but Itachi came back again."

"Did he hurt mom? Was she okay?"

"Yes, she was fine. Itachi didn't put a hand on her by the time I got there. And once I did, I chased him into the forest and fought with his clone before he told me that if I wanted to keep my family safe, I would have to track him down and kill him once and for all."

Riku gazed blankly at his lap as he let all the information process.

Sasuke folded his arms behind his head. "And that's what I did. Not too long after Itachi came and left, I departed from Konoha and went to track down my brother in order to kill him. It ended up taking six years before I caught up with him finally and killed him. Only then did I figure out that he never actually intended to bring harm to my family."

Riku looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean, father?"

"Well, Itachi had always wanted me to be the one to defeat him. He was very strong and seemingly unbeatable. Who better to defeat him than his own brother, his own blood? He told me that's why he destroyed my clan and threatened to hurt my family. He was an obstacle in my path, and he wanted me to overcome it. He was just being my older brother and watching out for me…being there for me…because that's what older brothers are for." Sasuke gazed solemnly ahead of him before giving his son a teasing smirk. "Of course, this stays between you and me, alright? Think of it as a father and son secret, okay?"

Riku nodded happily. "Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Good boy." Sasuke slowly stood up and dusted off his clothes. "So, are you satisfied now that you know the whole story?"

Riku pursed his lips in thought for a moment before eventually slowly nodding. "Yeah…it makes sense now. And…I think…I would've done the same thing, even if it meant I couldn't see my family for six years…"

"With loving comes sacrifice. You'll do well to remember that, Riku. It seems harsh, but it's clearly understandable."

Riku nodded in agreement before adding, "Hey dad?"

"Hm?"

"That's the same for uncle Itachi too, huh?"

Sasuke stared at him blankly.

"Uncle Itachi must've really loved you if he did all that just so you could overcome an obstacle. I think…I think I understand that. If Miko-chan was in trouble or if she was hurting…I'd do anything to make her life better, even if it only hurt her in the beginning."

Sasuke was in utter shock at his son's wise words. He had thought that he understood it clearly from what Itachi said, but he supposed that only an older brother could truly understand what it was like to want to protect those close to you, preferably a younger sibling. Sasuke had no doubt that if things were different, perhaps Itachi and Riku could've been close. Perhaps if Itachi hadn't done what he did, maybe he would end up being Riku's favorite uncle instead of Neji. Perhaps…Sasuke could've been more at ease if his brother was there to still watch over him and give him subtle guidance throughout his life like he had always done in the past. Then again…who knew?

* * *

After dinner had ended, Sasuke accompanied a few anonymous shinobi out to where his clan's cemetery was in order to bury the casket in which Itachi lay. The clan cemetery was positioned at the far end of the Uchiha compound in an area that nobody but Sasuke had ever visited. It was a large expanse of grassy land, which was overgrown now, and contained many gravestones embedded into the soil. One each gravestone was inscribed a name of one of the Uchiha who was brutally murdered during the massacre. Towards the front of the many rows of gravestones, was the patriarch and matriarch of the Uchiha clan—Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, Sasuke's parents. In the empty space next to Sasuke's deceased mother was a dug up place specifically for Itachi's body and casket. A few feet from his mother's gravestone was another gravestone that was freshly inscribed with Itachi's name, date of birth, and date of death. 

As Sasuke stared expressionlessly at his brother's headstone, the other shinobi lowered the casket into the ground before covering it up with moist soil. After the shinobi left, Sasuke was left alone to stand in front of his dead family. His eyes switched between staring at each headstone while he absently shifted his weight on the damp ground, which was due to the storm from the previous night. Even now, the heavy dark clouds were threatening to release more rain; however, for some reason it's only purpose was to darken the day to match a certain Uchiha's mood.

It had been awhile since Sasuke visited the Uchiha cemetery, and he was now wishing he had done so sooner. The grass was too overgrown and he definitely needed to clean the gravestones if he wanted to show his true respect for his long gone relatives. He briefly wondered if his wife wouldn't mind helping him with it.

"Sasuke…?"

He turned around halfway to watch as Hinata approached him with a timid smile on her face. "What is it?"

She merely shook her head and stood beside him quietly. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You'll have to tell me what your mother's favorite flowers were, Sasuke."

"What for?" He asked slipping his arms around her.

"So I can pay my respects to the ones who loved you before I did…"

"Hm…"

They held each other in a comfortable embrace as the minutes ticked by and the silence dragged on. They weren't bothered by the lack of talking and just enjoyed each other's presence as they gazed thoughtfully at the graves in front of them. In their heads, they were even saying little prayers to allow the Uchiha clan to rest in peace.

"Mama! Daddy!" Mikoto called to them from behind.

Both parents turned around to see not only their daughter running toward them, but Riku as well. Behind their children came Naruto and his family followed by every other person in the rookie nine and even Neji's team.

Sasuke furrowed his brows curiously.

Hinata inched away from her husband. "I wonder what they're doing here?"

"Not sure…" He mumbled in reply taking notice that all of them were carrying some type of white flower ranging from chrysanthemums to orchids to lilies.

Finally, Mikoto and Riku reached their parents. The boy was the first to speak. "All our aunts and uncles came by and wanted to know where you guys were."

"So, we brought them to you!" Mikoto added excitedly.

"I see that…" Hinata murmured and looked up when the large group stood in front of them with small smiles on their faces.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked crossing his arms over his chest. "What are you all doing here?"

Naruto smiled wider and scratched the back of his head while laughing. "Well, you see…heh, heh…"

Sakura smiled as she entwined her hand with her husband's. "We thought we would come by and pay our respects, since they're long past due."

No one was as surprised as Sasuke at that moment. "Pay…your respects? To Itachi?"

"Not necessarily, Sasuke-kun." Ino answered from her position next to Choji. "It's more like we came to pay our respects to the entire clan."

Neji stepped forward with a kind smirk. "Which is undoubtedly something we should've done years ago."

Naruto laughed again. "Well, that pretty much sums it up, so…"

Gradually, a slow smile made its way onto Sasuke's face as he stepped aside. "Be my guest."

Everyone smiled then and walked towards the gravestones before they placed their flowers down and spoke short prayers for the dead. By the time everyone had visited the graves, most of them went back into the house, except for Sasuke, Hinata, Naruto, Sakura, and their kids.

While the adults talked, the three children were off to the side having their own conversation. Riku separated himself from Akio and Mikoto in order to kneel in front of Itachi's grave as if studying it skeptically. Akio and Mikoto, on the other hand, were chatting away innocently while the little Uzumaki boy made a bold move by holding onto her hand.

Of course, this went momentarily unnoticed by the adults who were still having a light conversation. Naruto was smiling brightly as he talked to the lightly smirking Uchiha male. "I wish I could've met your mom, Sasuke. I'll bet she was nothing like you…You know, kind, caring, loving…good qualities that you don't have."

"Shut it, idiot. Although, she _was_ all those things. In fact, she and Hinata are a lot alike in some ways."

"Well, then if Hina-chan is like your mother, Sasuke-kun," Sakura spoke up. "Then I guess we already do kind of know her a little bit."

Hinata blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, no…I'm sure Mikoto-sama and I aren't that much alike…I'm sure she wasn't as shy as me…"

"Maybe not, but you two are a lot alike." Sasuke answered with nonchalance.

"Well, you know what they say," Naruto grinned. "Girls tend to marry someone like their father and boys tend to marry someone like their mother."

"Where did you hear that from, Naruto?" Sakura asked skeptically.

"From your dad. He said that that's why me and him get along so well."

"Right…" Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples in agitation.

Sasuke and Hinata glanced at each wondering if that saying really was true. Sure, Sasuke believed that Hinata was like his mother, and Hinata was picking out qualities that her husband shared with her father. In the end, it was kind of shocking to find out that maybe the saying might be true after all. Although, that train of thought didn't last long once Sasuke caught sight of his daughter blushing happily before planting a chaste kiss on Naruto's kid's cheek.

Immediately, he felt his stomach churn with a strange over-protective feeling. It was as if that small kiss alone said that Naruto's spawn was planning to take away his fragile and innocent daughter. And that…was never going to happen as long as Sasuke was alive. Because of this, Sasuke disappeared from his wife's side and reappeared in front of his daughter blocking Akio's sight from her.

The little blonde-haired boy looked up at Mikoto's father curiously, and flinched uncertainly at the scowl he was receiving. "Um…Hi, Uncle Sasuke."

"Your name is Akio, right?" Sasuke asked sternly.

"Yeah…"

Sasuke nodded and turned around to pick his daughter up so that she was straddling his waist. Bending down to the little boy's level, he whispered dangerously. "Don't touch my daughter, or you'll be missing a body part very dear to you."

"Daddy!"

"Sasuke!" Hinata stalked over with an apparent frown marring her features.

"What?" he asked innocently now that he was standing up.

Hinata abruptly took Mikoto from him. "They're only six years old."

"So?"

"So?" Hinata repeated. "They're completely innocent, so leave them alone."

Sasuke pouted his lips and faced away from his wife. "That kid was getting ideas…"

Hinata sighed and let Mikoto down before facing the other couple. "Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan, please take the kids inside. We'll meet up with you in a minute."

Naruto and Sakura nodded and ushered the three children back into the house to join the others.

When they were gone, Hinata turned back to Sasuke and shook her head. "You're unbelievable, Sasuke."

"Hn, she's not old enough to be kissing other boys."

"I think it's adorable."

Sasuke snapped his attention back to her as if she had just grown another head. "It is _not _adorable. It's…weird."

Hinata sighed again and wrapped her arms around Sasuke before laying her head on his chest. "You shouldn't worry about any of that…until they're older."

"Yeah, yeah…" He mumbled placing his arms around her in return.

The Uchiha woman gazed over at the gravestones once again before settling her eyes on the newest stone. Seeing the S-class criminal's named etched into the stone allowed her to finally realize that Itachi was dead, and there was no more threat to their family. "It's finally over, Sasuke…"

The man in turn replied with his mouth lingering over his wife's dark hair. "No, not for us. I have a feeling that we still have a long way to go."

Hinata looked up at him, glanced at the house with all their friends inside, and faced Sasuke again with a smile. She placed a light kiss on his lips before pulling back. "At least we won't be alone."

"Hn, you're right. There are more than enough people in our life to bother us."

Hinata giggled. "I'm guessing that's your way of saying you agree with me."

Sasuke chuckled and released her before holding onto her hand. "Come on, let's go inside. Our friends will be wondering what's taking us so long."

Hinata furrowed her brows together. "Ino-chan will probably think we're doing…you know…"

A sly smirk made its way onto Sasuke's face. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

Hinata's face colored rapidly. "What? Here? N-No, Sasuke, not in front of your family."

"They won't look."

"Sasuke!"

He laughed and led her back towards the house. "Fine, but you're making it up to me once everyone's gone."

She sighed before finally releasing another playful giggle. "I hope you know there are consequences for you're asking."

"What do you mean by that?"

A few months later, Sasuke was sent to the store to stock up on chocolate after hearing that he had impregnated his wife once again.

* * *

**_Nine Years Later…_**

Hinata broke another piece off of her large chocolate bar before devouring it into her mouth. As she savored the taste, she absently rested her hands over her nine month rounded belly. A low breath escaped from her mouth as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the couch. _Nearly eleven children…How on earth did Sasuke get me to have so many? Oh, right, I forgot. He wanted to rebuild his clan. _She sighed again. _Still…I don't think this many children were necessary. I think we could've been just fine with only three or four. Oh well…_

The front door burst open suddenly and in came a fifteen-year-old girl with long black hair and striking gray eyes. Around her neck was a Konoha headband and a smile was stretched on her lips. Once the girl caught sight of her mother, she sped over to her side and collapsed onto the couch next to her. "Hey, mom."

Hinata slowly opened her eyes and smiled softly at her eldest daughter. "You're back early, Mikoto."

"Yeah, well…I had some good news I wanted to tell you, so…" A blush came over her cheeks before it quickly disappeared when she looked around questionably. "Hey, where is everyone? Are you the only one here, mom?"

"Mhm. Your father and Riku are out training, and your younger siblings are still at the academy."

"Oh…I see…" Mikoto bit her lip and seemed to fidget in place.

"So…" Hinata sat up straighter and smiled encouragingly at her daughter. "What's the good news?"

"Oh, yeah!" Mikoto was beaming again. "You won't believe what happened today!"

"Hmm…" Hinata's smile turned sly. "Does it have something to do with Akio-kun?"

The dark blush on the younger girl's cheeks was a definite answer. "H-How did you know?"

"I'm your mother. I'm supposed to know these things. So, tell me what happened."

"Well…" She went back to biting her lip in a happy anxiety. "Akio-kun asked me out today! He wants me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes!"

Hinata jumped in her seat feeling excitement bubble within her. She grasped onto her daughter's hands. "That's great, Mikoto. You two will be so cute together. You know, I always knew you two were going to end up together…I knew ever since you were young."

Mikoto giggled and hugged her mother making sure not to put too much pressure on Hinata's pregnant stomach. "Thanks, mom."

When the two females pulled away, Hinata suddenly became serious. "Your father and brother will be returning home really soon. So…you'll have to tell them."

Mikoto paled rapidly. "What? But I can't, mom! You know how dad and Nii-nii are!"

"I know, but it's better if you tell them rather than them finding it out from someone else…"

"Yeah…I know." She sighed gloomily. "Um, can you stay with me when I tell them, though? You can always control daddy, and Nii-nii will listen to you too."

Hinata's laugh sounded like a wind chime. "If you want."

"I do, I really do. Dad and Nii-nii can be so…protective at times…It's smothering."

"I understand, sweetie. Don't worry, it shouldn't be too bad. Plus, they're not even here yet."

As if words could summon actions, Sasuke and his teenaged son walked through the door while wiping their foreheads of sweat. As soon as they entered the house, they caught sight of the two women sitting on the couch. Sasuke raised a brow before smiling as he approached his wife, who was now standing to greet them.

Riku stood still while staring at his parents embrace each other and kiss lovingly. Ignoring the urge to roll his eyes, he stepped closer knowing his mother would want to greet him as well.

Hinata pulled away from Sasuke and waddled her way over to her oldest son. He was a tall boy with long black hair pulled back with a tie. He was built just like his father and resembled him in many ways, but his gray eyes were always a great difference. Hinata smiled and hugged her son before pulling him down to her level so she could kiss his forehead. "Welcome home, Riku."

"Thanks, mom." He smiled awkwardly.

Sasuke, looking the same as he did years ago, came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her until her back was against his chest. When she was close enough, he nuzzled his face into her neck and stroked her stomach with care. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"And the baby?"

Hinata giggled. "He's been kicking up a storm."

"That's my boy."

Mikoto stood up and positioned herself in front of the couch. She gazed at her father and brother shyly. "Um, daddy? Nii-nii?"

The two men looked over along with Hinata, who was smiling knowingly.

"Um, can you sit down for a minute? I want to tell you something."

Sasuke and Riku glanced at each other suspiciously before taking hesitant seats on the couch. Hinata patted her daughter on the shoulder before seating herself in-between the two overgrown boys. After Sasuke made sure his wife was comfortable, he turned his attention to his antsy daughter. "What is it, Mikoto?"

"Yeah, make this quick Miko-chan. I need to go take a shower."

"Be patient you two and listen." Hinata scolded lightly and nodded to her daughter.

Mikoto sighed and shifted her weight between her two feet. "Um…well, you see…Okay, don't get mad, alright?"

This only seemed to make the two Uchiha men narrow their eyes in skepticism.

"Um, well…" Mikoto licked her lips nervously and closed her eyes tightly. "Akio-kun asked me out and I said yes." She finished quickly only to hear nothing but a tension filled silence take over the room. Inching her eyelids open slowly, she gazed at her very rigid brother and father. "Um…daddy? Nii-nii? Are you alright?"

"He did what?!" They both yelled simultaneously as they stood up with fists shaking at their sides.

"Calm down you two." Hinata murmured grasping onto Sasuke's wrist to help pull herself up. "It was bound to happen, and you both knew it."

Sasuke and Riku faced her furiously. "She's only fifteen!"

"Yes, but she's mature for her age and Akio-kun is a very nice grown-up boy."

"He's Naruto's son!" Sasuke shouted as if that explained everything.

"And he's a loser!" Riku added.

Sasuke nodded. "Thus, Naruto's son."

Hinata sighed deeply and shook her head with her hands on her hips. "You two are being ridiculous. Is it so hard just to be happy for Mikoto? She's happy, so why can't you two be happy with her?"

They were speechless and could only look at the ground with scowls on their faces. It was a few minutes before they finally glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement. When they met back with Hinata's eyes, they nodded again. Sasuke was the first to speak. "Fine. I won't get in their way…"

"Me neither…" Riku grumbled.

"But," Sasuke smirked.

Riku chuckled before forming his own smirk. "We need to make sure he'll treat Miko-chan right,"

"Before we give our approval."

"What?" Mikoto asked with wide eyes.

Hinata, too, widened her eyes at the insinuation. "Sasuke, Riku, no!"

It was too late. The two men had already disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the women alone to gaze at each other in frustration.

"Do you know where Akio-kun is?" Hinata asked with urgency.

"Yeah," Mikoto nodded seriously. "Hokage tower with uncle Naruto."

"Let's get going then."

* * *

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked from behind his desk in the hokage office. His chin rested on his palm as he surveyed the two Uchihas in front of him. 

A few paces away from Naruto's desk, Akio stood up and smiled at the newcomers, preferably his best friend Riku. His bright blonde hair gleamed in the light peeking through the windows, and his emerald eyes glistened with his contained happiness. Although he was as cheery as his father, anyone who knew him knew that behind that smile was a brain, which not many could master, save for the famous Shikamaru Nara. "What's up?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what's up, you bastard!" Riku hissed as he glared at his so-called-best friend.

As much as Sasuke wanted to add onto his son's statement, he instead placed his hand on Riku's shoulder to hold him back. "Easy, Riku."

Akio tilted his head innocently. "What? What's going on?"

"No kidding," Naruto yawned. "What the hell happened that's got you two so riled up?"

Riku growled and pointed at Akio accusingly. "You asked my sister out! How dare you do that without even asking me or my father first!"

Scratching his head with a nervous laugh, he replied. "I didn't know I had to. I figured it was only Mikoto-chan's decision since it's _her _life."

Sasuke stepped forward with his patented glare. "Technically it is her life, but seeing as she is not old enough to make adult and wise decisions on her own, it is up to her father to do it for her."

Akio gulped knowing what that obviously meant.

"Furthermore," Sasuke continued never allowing his scowl to falter. "Because of Hinata, I am reluctantly going to approve of this…relationship." He saw that Akio was about to give out a cheer of excitement, so he quickly interrupted him. "However, we need to go over a few things before I can allow this relationship to build at all…am I clear?"

"Okay, uncle Sasuke, I understand."

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that."

"Sorry."

"Anyway…" Sasuke ran a hand through his dark hair before taking a seat opposite Naruto. Riku ended up leaning against a wall near his best friend, but kept his analytical eyes on the young blonde at all times. "Let's begin, shall we?"

Akio glanced at his father, who was rolling his eyes, then to Riku, who was watching him threateningly, and finally to Sasuke, who appeared laid back but was really in a calculating mood. With a heavy sigh, he nodded.

Sasuke held up a finger to make his point as he began. With every statement he made, Riku nodded his head in agreement. "There will be no touching, no kissing, no hugging, no hand-holding, no blushing, no teasing, no groping, no seductive staring, and there needs to be at _least _a foot of distance between you both at all times—"

"Wait a minute," Akio interrupted in shocked anger. "So, then, what can I do with her? Just stare at her, or what?"

"That depends." Riku chimed in with a shrug. "If there's hunger or lust in your eyes, then that's a no."

Akio groaned and ruffled his hair furiously. "That's not fair!"

Sasuke and Riku exchanged a casual glance before they shrugged in nonchalance. "It seems fair to me and dad."

"Of course it would!"

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto spoke up drawing the attention of his old friend. "How many daughters do you have?"

Sasuke raised a brow. "Four, why?"

Naruto shook his head and raised his own brows. "Nothing. I just feel bad for them and any boy that catches their eye. If this is the treatment my son gets, who might I remind you has known Mikoto-chan since they were babies, then I sincerely pity any other boy who sets eyes on your other daughters." He rolled his shoulders lazily. "That's all I'm saying."

While Sasuke seemed to mull this thought over in his head, Riku seemed to ignore the comment and continue with the rule making for Akio.

"Oh, and one more thing," Riku added with a smirk. "No love confessions. That's just…weird."

"But—" Akio was suddenly interrupted by the loud thud of the office door opening, and Mikoto and the pregnant Hinata walking through.

By the time the door slammed closed, all four men in the room flinched and cringed under the threatening gaze of the two women. Mikoto was positioned with her arms crossed over her chest with a scowl on her face that could rival her father's. Hinata, on the other hand, wore a frown that resembled a pout and had her hands placed on her hips. Her protruding belly obviously wouldn't allow for her arms to be placed anywhere else.

"Sasuke,"

"Daddy,"

Unnoticeably, Sasuke gulped. His daughter being upset was not nearly as rare as it was when Hinata was mad. In fact, it seemed the only time his wife was ever mad was when she was pregnant, and those times were more than he could handle. _Her mood swings are going to be the end of me. Although, I guess it is partly my fault she is in the position she is…again. _Widening his eyes, he finally grasped the fact that his very pregnant wife had traveled all the way to the hokage tower. She was not allowed to do that in her condition!

With that thought in mind, he stood up and ran up to her with his quick eyes scanning her body for any signs of injury. "What were you thinking, Hinata? I thought we both agreed that you wouldn't leave the house unless I was with you." He hissed in a whisper that was barely heard by the others in the room.

"I'm not fragile, Sasuke." Her lips pouted cutely.

"I know _you _aren't fragile, but you are carrying something that _is _fragile. I also would prefer if you didn't try to overexert yourself. I already agreed that it was okay for you to still cook and clean, but I refuse to let you do anything else that—"

"Sasuke," Hinata pressed her finger against his moving lips to stop his little rant. Plus, it wasn't like she's never heard it before; she received the same speech every single time she was pregnant. "This isn't the time or place to talk about this. I'm fine. Now, as for the reason why we _are _here," She paused again and turned to face her daughter and son before smiling apologetically at Naruto and Akio. "Sasuke, Riku, go home and stop harassing Akio-kun."

"Yeah!" Mikoto agreed with her frustrated emotion clear on her face.

"We weren't 'harassing' him." Sasuke defended innocently. "We were just offering a few guidelines."

Naruto snorted. "Guidelines he says…ha!"

At this, Sasuke and Riku received very upset glares from the only women in the room, which again made them cringe.

Now, Mikoto and Hinata were in the mood to yell at the two Uchiha men in anger, but one meaningful glance to each other signaled a more effective way to get what they wanted. Hinata nodded for her daughter to proceed with the infamous Uchiha women manipulation. Without further ado, Mikoto trudged up to her father and let her eyes fill with unshed tears.

Sasuke inwardly winced when he saw his daughter gaze up at him with shiny teary eyes and trembling pouting lips. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes in distress. "Why, daddy?" Her voice was shaky and drenched with emotion. "Don't you love me anymore? Don't…Don't you want me to…to be happy?"

Sasuke was panicking, and he felt like a complete loser that he was practically melting at the sight of his daughter looking unhappy. With a dejected sigh, he patted her head soothingly. "Of course I want you to be happy, Mikoto."

"Then why can't I be with Akio-kun? Akio-kun makes me happy, daddy. I just want to be with Akio-kun!"

Awkwardly, Sasuke pulled his daughter into his arms and held her. "I…suppose…that…if it makes you happy to be with him, then…I'll…allow it."

Mikoto sniffled and gazed at her father with those same tortured eyes. "And you won't try to break us up in any way?"

Slumping his shoulders in defeat, Sasuke scowled at Akio from over Mikoto's head. "I promise I won't do anything of the sort."

Mikoto squealed in happiness and hugged her father tightly. "Thank you, daddy! I love you!" As soon as she released her father, she ran up to stand in front of her brother and began the same routine, only she was interrupted before she even began.

Riku leaned down toward her and whispered to her harshly. "Don't even think about it. That act doesn't work on me, you faker."

"Hm! You don't want me to be happy, huh Nii-nii?"

"I'm only doing what's best for you."

"Best for me? You don't know what's best for me!"

"Alright, you two." Hinata came in-between them and waddled her way to standing in front of her tall son. "You better stop before that turns into another brawl." She turned behind her to face Mikoto and winked, to which the girl beamed and skipped over to stand near her new boyfriend. Sasuke was sulking in the corner.

"But, mom—" Riku started.

"Hush, now." Hinata faced him sternly like the mother she was. "I know you're just trying to look out for your sister, but you can stop now. Everything's all right. And if you push it anymore, you're going to upset me very much. I love you, Riku, but…" She reached her hand up to cup his cheek. "You don't have to worry about your sister anymore. If anything, you should be worrying about me getting back home." She smiled teasingly. "You don't want me to collapse on the street, now do you?"

Riku fervently shook his head. "Of course not, mom. I promise I won't get in their way, just…just let me use the transportation jutsu to take you back home. Dad's right—you shouldn't be putting too much strain on yourself."

"Thank you, sweetie." She smiled more genuinely and turned back to her husband. "Sasuke, let's go home, please?"

He nodded and walked up to her putting his arm around her waist. "Riku, grab her other side."

"Got it."

Hinata giggled and glanced at her daughter, who had her arm looped with Akio's. The smile on her face was priceless and undeniably thrilled. "Don't stay out too late."

"I won't." she replied and Akio nodded his assurance.

With another smile from the Uchiha matriarch, the Uchiha couple and son disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving the occupants in the room to let out a long relieved sigh.

* * *

Not too long after night had settled in, Hinata was smiling in excitement from her standing at the window in her bedroom. Clad in her nightgown, she watched as her daughter stood on the porch with Akio as the boy was bidding her goodnight. With a low exhale, she leaned her head against the wall near the window, and agreed with herself that they truly did make a cute couple. 

All at once, two arms encircled her from behind and a chin rested on her shoulder. Without having to look over, she already knew it was her husband looking on at the same scene. Although, instead of the ferocity she was expecting, he merely breathed in exasperation against her neck. "I still don't think she's old enough to date."

"Age has no limits when you're in love, Sasuke." Hinata murmured softly.

"Hn," His eyes flickered away from the scene when the two teenagers parted ways with Mikoto coming back into the house and Akio heading away from the Uchiha compound. "You know…Naruto, that idiot, actually made a valid point today."

"Did he? Who would've thought the hokage could make a valid point." She teased sarcastically earning herself a comedic glare from the dark-eyed man.

"I really think I've had too much of an influence on you. Then again, the influencing was definitely mutual. I have no idea in hell how I turned out to be such a softie when it comes to those girls of ours…Probably because they look so much like you."

Hinata smiled and leaned her head back so it rested against his shoulder. Now, the couple was just staring up at the dark sky blanketed with stars. "So, what was the valid point that Naruto-kun made today?"

"Hn. He said that he basically felt bad for our daughters because I'm too protective." He paused and stroked her stomach with his fingers. "Now, I'm agonizing over it. Not too far from now I'll have to be keeping an eye on Haruka and Aya and even Kotoko in ten or more years. Why couldn't we just have all boys…?"

Hinata giggled and turned her head to plant a kiss on her husband's cheek. "I think having daughters is good for you. You love them just as much as they adore you."

"Hmm…"

"Plus, it's really your fault, you know."

"What's my fault?"

She turned in his arms and faced him with a gentle smile, which was also slightly mischievous. "If you didn't want daughters, you should've heeded my warning."

Sasuke smirked and pulled her as close to him as possible while he left feather-light kisses along her neck. "And what warning was that, Hinata?"

Pulling back slightly, Hinata hesitated before she allowed their lips to touch. "There were consequences for always insisting we make love."

Sasuke chuckled and brushed his lips against hers. "Yes…and those are consequences that I will never find myself regretting…" At that, the gap between their lips was closed.

**_The End_**

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Please review and give me some love for finishing!**

**Oh, and I have a small favor to ask. When you review, could you please tell me what you liked and disliked about the story, and also what you thought I did well and what I should maybe work on. This was my first fanfic and I want to improve, so I need your feedback. I will also make it a top priority to respond back to the reviews you leave me.**

**FINALLY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS! **

**I WANT TO GIVE A BIG THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS, you know who you are, so THANKS! Everything you guys said really kept me going and updating, so it's because of you that this story was finally completed. **

**I have nothing else to say, so thank you so, so, so very much. I love you guys! See ya!**


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